[How myths and prejudices about psychotherapy hamper the ongoing process of psychotherapy-integration]

Some frequently encountered myths and prejudices about psychotherapy are addressed, which severely hamper the integration of different forms of psychotherapy. Discrepant positions and polarities can be described as (a) individualized problem analysis vs. standardized disorder specific treatment planning, (b) one-sided pay attention to deficits vs. one sided take into consideration resources and coping-styles, (c) therapeutic technique vs. therapeutic alliance, and (d) biographical analysis vs. analysis of current life circumstances. The attempt to create balance between these biased polarities and perspectives is considered to be characteristic of modern psychotherapy approaches. Only research strategies including an encompassing perspective, a disorder specific as well as a comparative approach to study the different effects of different schools of psychotherapy will provide answers to the fundamental questions of present psychotherapy research.