Recipes for psychotherapy.

Stiles and Shapiro (1994) try to make a case for abandoning the model of drug research in exploring psychotherapy effectiveness--specifically, the idea that psychotherapy can be viewed in terms of effective "ingredients." Although provocative, their analysis can be challenged on methodological grounds involving failure to use multivariate analytic approaches, incomplete exploitation of advantages of growth curve analysis, and lack of attention to issues of statistical power. Acceptance of the conclusions proffered by Stiles and Shapiro would have negative effects on psychotherapy research and practice, and the case against the search for effective elements in psychotherapy process is not yet strongly made.