Being a psychotherapist involves the development of a reflexive capacity to draw on diverse sources of knowledge, including personal, practical, and research-based ways of knowing. The professional status and accountability of psychotherapy require that it take seriously the need to be research informed. Although a substantial amount of psychotherapy research is carried out and published each year, it has had a limited impact on practice. This paper examines issues and challenges associated with the task of creating reliable scientific evidence around the process and outcomes of psychotherapy. It is suggested that the key principles for the conduct of science, as identified by philosophers of science, call for a collective approach organized around a research community that embraces a critical approach to theory accompanied by flexibility around method. The implications of these principles for psychotherapy research are discussed in relation to strategically significant aspects of contemporary psychotherapy research. The paper concludes by offering some suggestions for making the most effective use of the research resources available to the psychotherapy profession.
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