Early career perspectives on psychotherapy research and practice: psychotherapist effects, multicultural orientation, and couple interventions.

I was awarded the Early Career Award from Division 29 and the American Psychological Foundation (APF) in 2012, and in this article, I provide an overview of my psychotherapy research career and insight gained along the way. Specifically, I will cover 3 main areas of my research: (a) psychotherapist effects, (b) multicultural processes in psychotherapy, and (c) romantic relationship interventions. First, although it is well known that some psychotherapists are better than others, the source of this expertise is not well understood. Across my studies, I have found notable variability in the ways that psychotherapists are able to effectively engage clients during sessions and this may be a key source of psychotherapist effectiveness. Next, I provide an overview of my studies examining clients' perceptions of their psychotherapists' multicultural orientation (MCO). For instance, across 9 studies, clients' perceptions of their psychotherapists' MCO accounted for 4% to 5% of the variance in clients' psychological well-being and was strongly associated with clients' alliance scores (weighted rs |.30| to |.64|). I also comment on the role of commitment in couple psychotherapy, by highlighting the importance of commitment uncertainty. Lastly, I provide some comments looking forward to potential themes in psychotherapy research and practice.