Of 76 clients receiving 8-20 sessions of cognitive therapy (CT) in a joint university and a national health service clinic, 31 experienced sudden gains that appeared very similar to those first reported in clinical trials of CT by T. Z. Tang and R. J. DeRubeis (1999) and subsequently replicated in other studies. The sudden gains appeared less stable in the present study's more routine clinical practice settings than they were in the clinical trials. Life events did not appear to account for sudden gains.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to use symptom intensity measures collected at each session (1) to describe the outcomes of clients who received cognitive therapy (CT) for depression in a clinically representative sample, and (2) to compare the outcomes of clients who completed the agreed number of sessions with those who did not. Design and method: Clients (N = 58) contracted to attend between 12 and 20 sessions of CT completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) immediately prior to each therapy session. The BDI and other measures were collected at intake and, for those who completed therapy, at a post‐therapy assessment. Results: Completers' BDI scores improved significantly from intake to post‐treatment and significantly more from intake to their final session than did those of non‐completers. However, when non‐completers' final session scores were matched with scores of randomly selected completers at the corresponding session, the difference in improvemen was not significant. A significantly higher proportion of clients who completed the agreed number of sessions achieved reliable and clinically significant change (71.4%, 25/35), compared with just 13% (3/23) of clients who did not. Conclusions: (1) CT for depression can be effective in a clinically representative population. (2) Attrition from clinical trials may bias estimates of treatment effectiveness.

Personal therapy for therapists is generally seen as an invaluable component of training. A review of the empirical literature on personal therapy in training found that approximately two-thirds of trainees find their personal therapy satisfactory. 15-40% however, report unsatisfactory outcomes or negative effects. Personal therapy in the early stages of training may have a deleterious effect on the therapist's work with patients. No evidence was found to support the view that personal therapy significantly enhances therapeutic effectiveness. Some reasons for this negative conclusion are mentioned and suggestions are offered for further research in this area.

SUMMARY. A national survey of the personal therapy experiences of UK Senior Registrars in Psychotherapy found that 87% reported their personal therapy had a moderate to very positive effect on both their work with patients and in their personal lives. Positive effects included increased self‐awareness (76%), increased self‐esteem (47%) and reduction in symptoms (43%). The most common primary goals for personal therapy were personal growth and the resolutions of personal problems. No trainees reported purely negative outcomes for their therapy but 38% reported some negative effects from their therapy. The main negative effects were psychological distress (29%) and marital or family stress (13%). These results are discussed in relation to previous research on personal therapy.

This study examined the relationship between cognitive and interpersonal styles and outcome among 24 clients who received time-limited cognitive therapy for depression. The authors hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by therapeutic alliance. They found that clients' interpersonal style, particularly an underinvolved style, was predictive of treatment outcome. As predicted, the impact of this style on outcome was mediated through the therapeutic alliance.