As an attorney referring your client to therapy, or a judge considering ordering therapy, you may wonder if the client will really benefit from psychotherapy. Does psychotherapy work? If so, why does it work? How much can a person really change? And how does being ordered into therapy versus choosing it change the likelihood of change?
Does psychotherapy work? Empirical research has consistently shown that therapy is effective. That is, people who completed therapy sessions reported better outcomes than control groups who did not. Better outcomes are typically defined as feeling better, thinking more clearly, improved interpersonal relationships, and/or improved behaviors (reported by the client and others).