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The research/practice gap in psychotherapy: From discovering reality to making sense

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Abstract

It is widely accepted that a discontinuity or gap exists between clinical research and practice: research findings are not often reflected in the work which clinicians do. This is considered unsatisfactory and many suggestions have been made to bridge this gap. This paper is aimed to show that perception of such a discontinuity between research and practice flows from a way of thinking, an epistemology of realism or objectivity. From the perspective of a different epistemology, namely constructivism, no such gap exists. These two ways of thinking are contrasted in the paper and it is shown how adoption of a constructivist epistimology in research can circumvent some of the problems traditionally ascribed to the supposed research/practice gap.

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  1. Dept. of Psychology, University of South Africa, P.O. Box 392, 0001, Pretoria, South Africa

    David P. Fourie Ph.D.

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  1. David P. Fourie Ph.D.
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Fourie, D.P. The research/practice gap in psychotherapy: From discovering reality to making sense. J Contemp Psychother 26, 7–22 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02307702

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