EBT3 – Evidence-Based Therapy, Training & Testing

The overall mission of EBT3 is to provide high-quality psychological services that have been found to work based on scientific research (i.e., evidence-based). There are three types of evidence-based services that we offer, including therapy, training clinicians in psychological assessment and treatment, and psychological testing and comprehensive assessment. We strive to provide these services with a client-centered focus that takes into account issues of individual diversity.

Connection, trust, and comfort are key ingredients in a good relationship with a therapist. Evidence-based therapy is no different; therapists strive to see your unique perspective and understand exactly where you are coming from. What is often overlooked, however, are the specific kinds of treatment a clinic or particular therapist has to offer.

When people think of therapy, they may imagine the popular notion of digging deep into their past, or analyzing their relationships with their parents. While these methods can be helpful, they are not always relevant and often require a long term commitment that lasts months or even years. Since time, money, and concrete results are often priorities, evidence-based therapies can be the most efficient and effective options.

What does it mean to say that therapies are “evidence-based” or “scientifically tested?” It means that large groups of people have received these therapies from trained therapists who work closely with researchers. These researchers analyze how well the therapy works during the course of treatment and in the weeks, months and sometimes years following the end of therapy. By analyzing the results of these studies, researchers and therapists are able to figure out what worked in a particular therapy and what didn’t. Suggestions for improving the therapy are made and are then implemented in new studies where the results are again tested. This is the essence of evidence-based therapy; the “evidence” is simply the scientific evidence that these therapies can work. While there is never a guarantee that a particular therapy will be effective for a particular person, using evidence-based approaches greatly increases the chances of success.

Not all mental health services are evidence-based and, thus, are not equally effective. For this reason, it is in your best interest to be educated when searching for a therapist. Psychologists at EBT3 use techniques that are based on recent research evidence. Since therapies are constantly evolving and changing as more research is done, we make sure to continually update our skills and knowledge. This allows us to select the techniques that are most likely to help our clients address their specific problems. Therapists using evidence-based approaches also carefully assess their clients’ progress over the course of therapy to make sure that the treatment plan is leading to desired outcomes. These assessments are also evidence-based, meaning that research has shown that the assessment tools reliably measure what they are intended to measure.

Evidence-based therapy is generally short-term and problem-focused, with positive changes often experienced within 8 – 20 sessions. At EBT3, clinicians have training and expertise in several evidence-based therapies.