Psychological interventions are a diverse assortment of techniques based on a variety of psychological theories all aimed at client change. Our research team is currently examining a variety of research questions concerning psychological interventions. These research questions can be loosely grouped into four main categories:
- The relation of client characteristics to engagement in psychological treatment and to the outcome of treatment.
- For example, Beth Keleher is studying the sources of client motivation from the perspective of Self-Determination Theory to engagement and retention in treatment and to eventual outcome
- The relation of theoretically important properties of the psychological intervention to the outcome of treatment.
- For example, based on the work of Kuyken, Padesky and Dudley (2008; Bieling and Kuyken, 2003), Kevin Capobianco is studying the quality of case conceptualization in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and its relation to treatment outcome.
- The relation of properties of the therapist-client relationship and their relation to change over the course of a psychological intervention.
- For example, Walter Mittelstaedt is interested in the working alliance between the therapist and client and the relation of changes in the working alliance to client change as part of the psychological intervention.
- Methodological issues in the evaluation of change in a single case followed over time.
- For example, Jonathan Oakman is interested in the application of single-case research methods to study psychological interventions.
Much of our research takes place at the Centre for Mental Health Research that is housed in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo.