Treatment drop-out is a common problem in the everyday practice of psychotherapy. In the cognitive-behavioral psychology literature, there are scant data on drop-out from therapy and the data available vary widely according to the definition of drop-out and the intensity of treatment. This study presents results obtained in the Behavioural Therapy Unit of the University of Barcelona. Of the 203 patients seen in the unit, 89 (43.8%) dropped out, mostly in the early stages of the intervention. The most common reasons for this were low motivation and/or dissatisfaction with the treatment or the therapist (46.7%), external difficulties (40%), and patients' feeling of improvement (13.3%). Patients who dropped out differed from those who continued; they more often presented affective or eating disorders or problems with impulse control. The observed drop-out rate is in line with figures reported for psychotherapy in general and by those studies which have considered cognitive-behavioral therapy in particular.

To clarify what is actually measured by the trait version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970), we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of various models and evaluated convergent and discriminant validity. The best fit was obtained with both a bifactor model, comprising 2 specific factors plus a general factor, and a 1-construct, 2-method model. The total score and the 2 method subscales of the STAI trait version were more strongly correlated with depression than with anxiety. In the bifactor model with 2 specific factors, the depression subscale showed stronger correlations with measures of depression than with measures of anxiety. The correlation of the hypothetical anxiety subscale with measures of depression was equivalent to or higher than its correlation with measures of anxiety. These results suggest that the questionnaire does not strictly evaluate anxiety but, rather, negative affect.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy applied by trainee therapists in a private university service appears effective, although this efficacy may be somewhat lower than that in controlled studies. Moreover, the duration of treatment and the drop-out rate may be higher.

This paper presents the Behaviour Therapy Unit (BTU) of the University of Barcelona (UB). The BTU was born in 1985 with the will to train new graduates on Psychology in professional practice from the cognitive-behavioural model. Also to develop a clinical service in the School of Psychology that would allow an improvement of the quality of teaching and research through psychological assistance to the people inside and outside the UB that so requested. In the paper we describe in detail the training program offered to the psychologists as well as the training program undertaken by undergraduate students who carry out their practicum. In addition, the work presents data on the Psychological Assistance that has been done in the past 10 years and the effectiveness observed in the treatments carried out under supervision by psychologists in training. Finally, we discuss briefly the main areas of research that we develop in the BTU.