健康生活:心理治疗究竟靠谱吗?

"A lot of students come in and say, ‘I hate science, but I'm good with people. I like to listen and help them,' " said Dr. Becker. There is little incentive for therapists to change what they are doing if they believe it works. But "every clinician overestimates how well they're doing," said Dr. Spring. Often patients simply feel they can't tell a therapist when things aren't going well.
“有不少学生说：‘我讨厌科学，但我擅长与人交往。我乐于聆听患者们的倾诉，并给予他们所需的帮助，'”贝克尔博士补充道。只要治疗师们认定自己的工作行之有效，他们就不大情愿做出改变。不过，“每名临床医生都会高估自己的工作成效，”斯普林博士说，实际上，在很多情况下，患者只不过是觉得自己无法告诉治疗师“进展并不顺利”而已。

"A lot of times, therapists just don't know," Dr. Chambless said. "People will say, ‘Thank you, I'm fine now, goodbye,' and go into a different therapy."
“很多时候治疗师们只是被蒙在了鼓里，”钱布利斯博士说，“患者对他们说，‘谢谢你，我现在觉得好多了，再见'，然后又跑去接受另一套不同的治疗。”

Despite the gap between research and practice, some experts are cautiously optimistic. Dr. Wilson believes mental health practitioners, especially younger clinicians, are slowly moving toward more evidence-based treatments. He pointed to a parallel shift among physicians that took place, he said, when medicine committed itself to science rather than to producing medical artists or gurus.
尽管存在着这些差距，专家们对未来仍然抱持着谨慎乐观的态度。威尔逊博士认为，心理保健行业的从业者，特别是年轻的临床医生，正慢慢地向循证治疗的阵营迈进。他指出，当医学界更专注于科学而非生产所谓的“医疗艺术家”或“大师”时，在医生之中也会发生相应的偏移。

"As a field, clinical psychology needs to do the same thing," he said. "We need to commit ourselves to science."
“在临床心理学领域内也亟需发生同样的转型，”威尔逊博士说，“我们需要更加致力于科学研究和实践。”

Need to find a therapist well-grounded in the latest research? Experts recommend interviewing prospective providers before starting therapy, especially if you are looking for a specific type of treatment. Useful questions include:
你需要寻找一名深谙最新研究的治疗师吗？专家建议在开始治疗前先对他们进行一场面试，当你所寻求的是某种特定类型的治疗时尤其应该如此。有意义的问题包括：

What kind of trainings have you done, and with whom?
你完成了何种类型的培训，同侪都有哪些人？

What professional associations do you belong to? (If you're looking for a C.B.T. therapist, for instance, ask whether the therapist belongs to the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, where most top C.B.T. researchers are members.)
你属于哪个专业协会？（例如，当你的目标是寻找一名 CBT治疗师时，你可以询问他是否隶属“行为和认知疗法协会”，因为大多数顶尖的认知行为疗法研究人员都是该协会的成员。）

What do you do to keep up on the research for treating my condition?
为了更好地治疗我的病情，你将如何跟进最新的研究进展？

How do you know that what you do in treatment works?
你如何确知应进行哪些治疗？

Do you consider yourself and your approach eclectic? (Therapists who subscribe to an eclectic approach are less likely to adhere to evidence-based treatments.)
你是否认为你所采用的方法具有折衷主义倾向？（赞同折衷治疗法的治疗师不大可能会坚持循证治疗。）

What manuals do you use?
你使用的是何种治疗手册？

What data can you show me about your own outcomes?
你可以通过哪些数据来证实自己的成果？

"A clinician who can't tell you how many patients get well isn't going to care that much if you get well," said Dr. Waller.
“如果一名临床医生无法告诉你有多少患者经过他的治疗后得到好转，那么他同样不会把你的病情放在心上，”沃勒博士如是说。