Flexibility within Fidelity: Breathing Life into a Psychological Treatment Manual

Among mental health researchers, there is a consensus that empirically supported treatments (ESTs) have favorable outcomes and that the outcomes are typically better than other approaches. The majority of these are available as therapist manuals, brief books, or other extended volumes. However, among mental health service providers, there is often a view that these manuals and books can be formulaic and rigid, and likely insensitive to individual patient needs or presentations. With these c...