Individual versus family psychotherapy in managed care: comparing the costs of treatment by the mental health professions

Abstract

In an effort to understand how psychotherapy is practiced in the "real world," outpatient claims data were examined to determine the cost of individual and family therapy provided by marital and family therapists, master's nurses, master's social workers, medical doctors, psychologists, or professional counselors. Claims for 490,000 unique persons over 4 years were obtained from CIGNA. Family therapy proved to be substantially more cost-effective than individual or "mixed" psychotherapy. Physicians provided care in the fewest sessions, marital and family therapists had the highest success (86.6%) and lowest recidivism rates (13.4%), and professional counselors were the least costly. Outcomes were overwhelmingly successful, with 85% of patients requiring only one episode of care.