1 - Evidence-Based Adjunctive Therapy: Introduction

Abstract

This chapter addresses the importance of both adjunctive therapies and stepped care. Evidence-based adjunctive therapies should be considered in this strategic vision as they can be helpful, client preferred, less expensive, less intrusive, offsetting of the therapist's weaknesses, and more comprehensive. However, there may be times when what is considered here as an adjunctive therapy may serve as the main intervention. There has to be a strategic vision for the therapist to address the situation of a patient. One of the implications of this model is that most of the benefit that the patient will receive from this interaction would directly flow from what the therapist can provide. If the therapist's skills “in the room” are good, the hope is that the client will make progress on his or her problems. Thus, any limitations in this skill set will limit the benefit the client can receive from therapy. Additionally, the one-on-one format is labor-intensive and thus expensive to the patient. “Adjunctive” is defined by Webster's dictionary as “something attached to another in a dependent or subordinate position.” Thus, we are not thinking of adjunctive interventions as replacing needed face-to-face therapy but something most often in addition to usual therapy.