PPRNet Clinical summary: What is a Psychological Treatment?

Previous reviews found no consensus in the field on what makes a treatment “psychological”. In this Society for Clinical Psychology (SCP) Task Force Report, Tolin and colleagues conducted a review of previous definitions. They first assembled a diverse group of researchers and clinicians to review the definitions and to propose a comprehensive one. Then the proposed definition was provided to SCP members for feedback in a consultation process. The consensus definition that Tolin and colleagues landed on was that: “Psychological treatment is an intervention consisting of specific actions between a person or persons and a mental health professional or designee, with the intent of engaging cognitive, emotional, behavioral, or interpersonal processes, in the service of modifying health or functional outcomes, and whose core assumptions about its procedures and mechanisms of change are founded in psychological science and consistent with scientific understanding. By “…specific actions…”, they meant specific, planned interventions of a clinician, and they excluded nonspecific counselling, for example. By “…between a person or persons and a mental health professional or designee…”, they meant individuals, couples, groups, or organizations treated by a trained clinician or a designee. This definition requires that a person deliver the treatment and so excludes unguided generative AI, for example. By “…with the intent of engaging cognitive, emotional, behavioral, or interpersonal processes…”, they meant to exclude physiological or medical treatments, like antidepressant medications. By “…in the service of modifying health or functional outcomes…”, they meant that the outcomes may include symptom reduction, but may also include improved health, improved relationships, or improved organizational functioning. A therapy with no clear objectives or goals would not meet this criterion. By “…consistent with scientific understanding…”, they meant to exclude interventions that are not incompatible with known science. For example, a therapy focused on energy meridians in the body would not meet this criterion since there is no basis in biology for this concept.

Practice Implications 

Sometimes it is difficult to define psychological therapy to patients, third-party providers, and the general public. It is important to have a definition when describing what one does to these stakeholders. The definition provided by Tolin and colleagues may not be perfect, but it does provide a basis upon which we can describe what many clinicians do when treating someone with a mental health problem by psychological means.

Tolin, D. F., Grasso, D., Boness, C. L., Beck, J. G., Keane, T. M., Leichsenring, F., Olatunji, B. O., Otto, M. W., & Weinand, J. (2025). A proposed definition of psychological treatment and its relation to empirically supported treatments. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 32(3), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1037/cps0000220