ABSTRACT

Psychotherapists in clinical practice can do "local" research that can help them understand what transpires in individual cases and, more generally, in their practice. This chapter looks at the kinds of ways psychotherapists can use research tools to examine their practice. Michael Fox, a family psychiatrist from Baltimore, is one example of a clinician who decided it was finally time to do some research on his own practice. Having no research background, Fox consulted with a researcher about ways of collecting and analyzing his data. Using his clinical records and source material, Fox's ratings of client outcome on a case-by-case basis were more positive than he had expected. He says his research project caused him to trust his global recollections about his practice less and rely more on research data. Another way to gather this information is to use one of the growing numbers of online-accessible instruments. It costs a bit more than simply doing it oneself with hard copies.