Research findings amalgamated for the American Psychological Association show that the outcomes of psychotherapy are substantially and significantly better the more the therapist or especially the client display emotional arousal during therapy - though among substance use clients, focusing on emotions has not been universally helpful.

Abstract

Background

The high prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) among incarcerated adults in the U.S. is well-known, but there has been less examination of SUD treatment and rates of incarceration among the population of adults with SUDs as the denominator. The current study uses a population-based sample to address three questions: (1) What is the rate of lifetime incarceration among the population of U.S. adults with SUDs?; (2) Among adults with SUDs, what proportion of those with incarceration histories use SUD treatment compared to those without incarceration histories?; and (3...

Findings amalgamated for the American Psychological Association show that providing therapists real-time feedback from the client (including substance use clients) on their progress and how to improve it is among the most effective ways available to services to improve outcomes.