Harnessing the Therapist Effect in Patient-Centered Mental Health Care Decision Making

In this commentary, we address the critical importance of the research literature documenting therapist differences in skill and outcomes. In particular, we focus on the implications of therapist differences for patient-centered decision making, including the matching of patients to specific psychotherapists who have empirically-based track records of positive performance. In addition, we present preliminary results from a grant supported study of patients' values and preferences regarding the use of provider performance track records in routine mental health care decision making.