This position is roughly 80 years old. Personally I think the best heuristic for telling wether a therapist is any good is whether they believe the connection between the two of you is more important than their personal preferred theoretic approach.
I'm aware of the studies that suggest that empathy and alliance are more
important than the theoretic approach of the therapist and made that point
previously on LW. It's just that there are so many possible stones to throw that
I'm not throwing them all at once.
One of the best predictors of successful outcomes for a therapy patient, is that the patient trusts the therapist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_relationship
This position is roughly 80 years old. Personally I think the best heuristic for telling wether a therapist is any good is whether they believe the connection between the two of you is more important than their personal preferred theoretic approach.
Relevant scholarship:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo_bird_verdict
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_factors_theory
I model therapy as an art ... (read more)