What Is the Dodo Bird Verdict and How Is It

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--Psychotherapy researchers use the term dodo bird verdict to refer to the conclusion that all therapies are equivalent in their effects.Not all investigators accept this verdict.
Beginning in the late 1970s,a scientific consensus emerged that psychotherapy works in alleviating human suffering (Landman & Dawes,1982;Smith & Glass,1977)-a consensus that holds to this day.This conclusion derived from studies using a technique called meta-analysis,meaning "analysis of analysis," is a statistical method that helps researchers to interpret large bodies of psychological literature.Today,some researchers using meta-analysis have claimed to support the dodo bird verdict.Studies with experienced therapists who've practised behavioural,psychodynamic,and person-centred approaches have found that all are more successful in helping clients compared with no treatment,but no different from each other in their effects.
Other researchers aren't convinced.They contend that the dodo bird verdict,like the real dodo bird,is extinct.Although most forms of psychotherapy work well,and many are about equal in their effects,there are notable exceptions (Beutler,2002;Hunsley & DiGuilio,2002).For example,behavioural and cognitive-behavioural treatments are clearly more effective than other treatments for children and adolescents with behavioural problems (Garske & Anderson,2003;Weisz et al. ,1995).Moreover,behavioural and cognitive-behavioural therapies consistently outperform most other therapies for anxiety disorders,including phobias,panic disorder,and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Addis et al. ,2004;Chambless & Ollendick,2001).
Also calling into question the dodo bird verdict are findings that some psychotherapies can make people worse (Barlow,2010;Dimidjian & Hollon,2010;Lilienfeld,2007).Although we might assume that doing something is always better than doing nothing for psychological distress,research suggests otherwise.A nontrivial proportion of clients,perhaps 5 to 10 percent,become worse following psychotherapy,and some may become worse because of psychotherapy (Castonguay et al. ,2010;Rhule,2005;Strupp,Hadley,& Gomez-Schwartz,1978).For example,several researchers have found that crisis debriefing (see Chapter 12)can sometimes increase the risk of posttraumatic stress symptoms in people exposed to trauma.

What Is the Dodo Bird Verdict and How Is It

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