#21 Dr. Doug Behan on What Works in Therapy

Dr. Doug Behan is the Director of Continuing Education and an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers School of Social Work. Dr. Behan has been at Rutgers School of Social Work since 2007 where he enjoys leading the nation’s largest university-based continuing education program for social workers and teaching clinical courses to MSW students. Dr. Behan has over 30 years of experience in a variety of social work settings. He has worked extensively in the mental health field as a clinician, supervisor, and administrator. In his career, he has enjoyed developing many programs including the school’s continuing education program, professional conferences and certificate programs, international training programs in China and India, a domestic violence treatment program, a children's intensive outpatient program and an intensive outpatient detoxification program. Dr. Behan has a deep connection to Rutgers where he has earned his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

What are the Common Factors of Effective Psychotherapy? Meta-analytic studies show that no major treatment approach (e.g. CBT, psychodynamic, family systems) has proven superior to other approaches in treating psychiatric disorders. After decades of devotion and refinement, why has no treatment approach emerged as superior to the others? The answer is that treatment models are effective, not primarily because of their unique qualities, but because of the therapeutic factors they all share. Known as the “common factors”, when these components of psychotherapy are present, positive outcomes are maximized. Learn more about the common factors by visiting Dr. Behan’s website, WhatWorksInTherapy.com, where you can find valuable information on what to look for when seeking psychotherapy.

TherapyShow.com/Podcasts

Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is not a substitute for getting help from a mental health professional.