king psychotherapists or their clients, "How helpful has therapy been?" is only a start. The answer does provide some information about how therapists and their clients perceive therapy. However, it does not answer the question of whether psychotherapy is effective because both therapists and clients have vested interests in believing that therapy succeeded. Therapists want to uphold their professional reputation and sense of competence, and clients want to feel that their investment of time and money has been worthwhile. Because of these biases, most studies of effectiveness rely on other evaluations of a client's improvement: psychological tests given before and after treatment, reports from the client's friends and family, and reports from impartial interviewers who do not know the client or whether the client received any therapy.VI. Recommendation It is evident that psychotherapy and counseling each have their own specific functions in different problems. It is safe to assume that if counseling does not work, then it could be psychotherapy that can do the job. For instance, all therapies offer people hope for recovery. People who begin therapy often expect that therapy will help them, and this expectation alone may lead to some improvement. Also, people in psychotherapy may find that simply being able to talk freely and openly about their problems helps them to feel better. Finally, the support, encouragement, and warmth that clients feel from their therapist lets them know they are cared about and respected, which may positively affect their mental health. ...
