Abstract
Research has now clearly demonstrated that psychotherapy is effective, yet what specifically accounts for therapeutic change remains controversial (Wampold, 2010a). Several movements within the past two decades have come about as a response to the need for defining effective treatment approaches including the introduction of empirically validated treatments, empirically supported treatments, evidence-based practice, and the evidence-based therapy relationship. Despite efforts within the field to identify and disseminate effective treatment approaches, research on novice therapists has identified that students at early stages of professional development experience confusion concerning the ingredients of effective helping (Skovholt & Ronnestad, 2003). Factors often overshadowed when attempting to implement evidence-based psychotherapy practice include the self of the therapist, the therapy relationship, and specific (non-diagnostic) client characteristics (Norcross, 2001). There is an identified need for training in how to effectively attend to both the therapy relationship and the self of the therapist within the graduate training process. In light of this identified need, the deliverable of this project is a training curriculum for advanced graduate students in psychology teaching the relational aspects of evidence-based practice. To complement existing training in evidence-based techniques and therapy approaches, this training curriculum will address how to facilitate an evidence-based therapy process that engages principles of the evidence-based therapy relationship.