Most evidence-based treatment approaches for common mental health concerns are pretty effective. There are even ways to make therapy even more effective. Many therapists may personalize treatments by modifying elements based on perceived unique needs of the client.
Personalizing treatment to meet individual needs is an intuitive and well-meaning effort to improve therapy. But does personalization add value above and beyond more structured treatments?
Structured treatments typically use specific, repeatable therapy methods that progressively build skills with each client. For example, CBT often explores thought patterns that contribute to negative emotional reactions and maladaptive behaviors. Some therapists argue this approach is insensitive to unique qualities or situation of the individual, and is therefore ineffective. Interestingly, research has put this idea to the test: do structured or manualized treatments miss important aspects of helping clients?
A recent meta-analysis addressed this very question. Researchers compared highly tailored (“personalized”) treatments with treatments that included no or only a few individualized changes. Personalized approaches included selecting specific modules, modifying treatment content, or adjusting treatment intensity.
Structured treatments used the same therapy methods for every participant. Things like matching therapist and client or selecting specific treatment protocols to begin with were not considered personalized methods in their study.
By and large, there was no difference between personalized and non- or less-personalized treatments. There was no difference in level of symptom reduction, smoking abstinence, or process variables (e.g., level of negative emotions). No personalization method investigated appeared to be beneficial. For example, tailoring content versus using modules already selected was not more beneficial.
These findings suggest that personalizing treatments for each individual is not more helpful than using manualized approaches (as formulated). Many argue that manualized approaches have the added benefit of “taking the guess work” out of therapy. In other words, they build consistency in practice. This could possibly reduce cognitive load, freeing up mental and emotional energy to bring even more empathy and positive regard to the process. That way, therapists might more easily bring empathy and positive regard to the process.
It is still possible that some forms of personalization may be helpful. However, researchers need to conduct more studies to determine this. Until then, many manualized treatments are available with just a little CE training. A number of great books and manuals and the Treatments That Work series are also good starting points for client treatment plans.
