The established paradigm in psychotherapy research is oriented to the dominant bio-medical research paradigm, which is too narrow and decontextualized to generate realistic (and thus truly scientific) studies in our field. The central assumptions of this paradigm are critically discussed and an expansion is suggested that can provide a more adequate conception of the human contexts of psychotherapy (biographical, sociocultural, political-economic). Researchers need to have a more specific theoretical conception of the contexts in which actual clinical practice occurs. When carried far enough, the concepts proposed here should lead to specifications of how operational measures can be constructed for use in psychotherapy studies.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.