CV

Dr. Larry Beutler received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska and subsequently served on the faculties of Duke University Medical Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is the Past Director of the National Center for the Psychology of Terrorism and the continuing Director of the Institute for the Study of Equine Assisted Change at Palo Alto University (PAU). He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology a previous Chair of the Faculty, and Director of Clinical Training at Palo Alto University. He is also Professor Emeritus at the University of California, a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), a fellow of both the American Psychological Association (APA) and Association of Psychological Science (APS), a Past President of Divisions 29 (Psychotherapy) and 12 (Clinical) of APA, and a two term Past President (international) of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR). Among his citations and achievements, he is a recipient of the Distinguished Career award from SPR, and a Presidential citation for achievement from the APA. He has also been honored for his contributions by the States of Arizona and California. He has published over 450 scholarly articles and chapters and is the author or co-author of 26 books on psychotherapy, assessment, and psychopathology.

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT
Selection the most appropriate treatment for each patient
“Systematic Treatment Selection”, is a means of applying the scientific knowledge that has accumulated on the change process to the practicality of tailoring treatments to each individual patient. Its greatest advantages are that it is cross-cutting, minimizes the role of unsupported theory, and is practical. We look at the ever accumulating brands and sub-brands of psychotherapies for different conditions and find these lists largely to be in contradiction to the now overwhelming evidence that “all [brands] have won and all must have prizes”. We are different than most empirically oriented research/practitioners because we believe what good research tells us. Namely, that 1) Among the 1000+ brands of psychotherapy, there are few (if any) treatments whose effects are diagnosis specific; 2) Most evidence-based psychotherapies produce similar and nearly equivalent results; 3) There are large therapist and (non-diagnosis related) patient factors that contribute more to change than the brand of psychotherapy practiced or the diagnosis of the patients receiving it; 4) relationship and contextual factors are probably more important than the “treatment” in effecting change; and 5) the research methods that are currently favored among evidence based researchers are designed to minimize or ignore the importance of these therapist, patient, relationship, and contextual factors in change. They are only about the “interventions”—among the least important of the many contributors to change.
STS is a means of creating an individualized, cross-cutting and empirically driven treatment for each patient rather than for those in a diagnostic class. This individualized treatment plan can be applied systematically and prescriptively by therapists with many different views, who can be quite easily trained to integrate STS principles with their theory-driven approaches.