I’ve been thinking hard about the so-called “Dodo Bird Verdict“.
The verdict, based on a character from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” states that every psychotherapeutic theory is equal, and no one theory reigns supreme. In the words of Carroll’s Dodo (after judging a foot race): ”Everybody has won and all must have prizes.” This verdict asserts that there are common factors among therapists which, if adhered to, will result in successful therapy no matter what model or technique the therapist applies to treatment.
I’ve recently been involved with a group called the International Center for Clinical Excellence (ICCE). Scott D. Miller, it’s founder, used to be one of the most ardent proponent of the Dodo Bird Verdict. In fact, in one of my recent posts entitled “What REALLY Causes Change in Teens“, I outline the common factors of therapy that Miller introduced me to. The common factors are: 1) things that happen outside of the therapy office; 2) the client’s orientation toward hope for change; 3) the strength of the client-therapist relationship; and 4) the therapist’s applied technique.
These four key common factors give us a descriptive sense of what is similar across the vast world of psychotherapy success. However, it is not a model of therapy in and of itself. In other words, if we were to focus our efforts around strictly enhancing the four common factors in our work with clients, we would find that we never improve beyond where we are today. Why?
The “Red Queen Principle” bears the answer. Again taken from a character in Carroll’s book, the Red Queen tells Alice, “It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.” Evolutionary theorists use these words from the Red Queen to elucidate the Red Queen Principle. The Principle explains the necessity of all organisms to adapt or become extinct. In other words, if a predator does not adapt, but its prey does adapt, then eventually the predator will cease to exist. For example, if rabbits become faster and foxes don’t, then foxes will eventually become extinct. The Red Queen Principle states that while groups of organisms must do “all the running [they] can do” just to keep up with other organisms and avoid extinction, individual organisms within those groups often exceed the evolutionary advances of the group. For example, one fox may become exceedingly fast and cunning and it will pass those genes on to its offspring.
So what does this have to do with therapy?
Well, if the common factors are true of every successful treatment outcome, then it doesn’t really matter which model of therapy you use, does it? It would follow that every therapist who focused on those factors would have similar successful outcomes, wouldn’t they? But research shows that this simply isn’t true. Some therapist are vastly more skilled at inching their clients toward health than other therapists. Why? What is different about these “supershrinks“? (Click on the “supershrinks” link. Read the article. You won’t regret it. In fact, it may change your life.)
The difference, according to Miller, lies in the work of K. Anders Ericsson. Internationally renowned as the “expert on expertise”, Ericsson’s research shows that the truly great in any field have things in common – they improve themselves through deliberate practice. And they do much more deliberate practice than other relatively “good” performers – up to as much as 10,000 hours more!
Expert therapists know where they are weak. This means that they are measuring themselves constantly. They are following up with their clients. They are soliciting feedback. They know exactly what they need to improve upon. And then they act to improve it.
In evolutionary terms, supershrinks adhere to the Red Queen Principle. They far exceed the psychotherapeutic advances of their time. They adapt and improve and reach and stretch far more than groupings of their “adequate” peers.
The truly excellent are humble enough to know they are limited, smart enough to seek feedback, passionate enough to act on that feedback, and stubborn enough to engage in deliberate practice over and over and over again.
Looks like I have some work to do. How about you?