Science in Practice in Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Abstract

In honor of the ABCT’s 50th anniversary, I offer observations about the consumption and production of science in the clinical practice setting from the vantage point of my own professional development and the development of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) more generally. I describe advances in the field that will promote clinicians’ consumption and production of science. Two recent developments that promote practitioners’ consumption of science are the field’s shift from the study of disorders to the study of transdiagnostic mechanisms, and the advent of flexible modular protocols. Two advances that support practitioners’ production of science include the overlapping interests of practitioners and scientists in understanding the mechanisms of action of our effective treatments, and the emergence of software and online tools that make it easy for clinicians to collect and organize the data they obtain during the course of their clinical work. Innovations that can strengthen the role of science in practice include the publication of more single-case studies and increased access to evidence-based assessment tools; I describe ways the ABCT might contribute to both these initiatives.