Society for Psychotherapy Research

The Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR) is a learned society founded in 1970. It is multidisciplinary, international association for research into psychotherapy. The idea of an international society of psychotherapists was discussed at an annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in 1968.

The Society has chapters in the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe, Latin America, and North America. The Society for Psychotherapy Research also has what it describes as "Area groups" in Australia, Italy, and other specific locations.

The academic journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, Psychotherapy Research, is published bi-monthly by Routledge.

Aims and history
The aims of the society are: to encourage and to improve scientific research on psychotherapy; to foster the transfer of research findings into practice; and to support the dialogue between scientists and practitioners. The Society organizes regular meetings to enable communication about research, share methodological innovations, and disseminate research findings and knowledge of their applications. It makes use of print and electronic media to disseminate the results of psychotherapy research and to share ideas related to research methods.

The creation of a Society for Psychotherapy Research goes back to a meeting of psychotherapy researchers in San Francisco in 1968, which was associated to the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. This meeting was sponsored by small donations of the APA Division of Psychotherapy and the American Academy of Psychotherapists. The founders of the group were Kenneth I. Howard and David Orlinsky, with support from Lester Luborsky, Nathanael Raskind, and Hans Strupp. The first official conference took place at Highland Parks, Illinois in 1969.

Organization
The society consists of 4 regional chapters, 4 area groups, and 2 interest sections. The regional chapters are: In some areas, there are many active SPR members and local meetings are organized. The four area groups are: In addition to the chapters and area groups, interest sections on specific topics that are of interest to members exist. Currently, there are two special interest sections:
 * Europe
 * Latin America
 * North America, including Australia and Taiwan
 * United Kingdom
 * Australia
 * Italy
 * Mid Atlantic
 * Ohio
 * Culture & Psychotherapy: this section aims to promote awareness and advance scientific understanding of the social and cultural contexts of psychotherapy, their influence upon therapeutic processes and outcomes and their role in shaping the varied forms that psychotherapies have taken in different societies. One of the activities of this group is a large collaborative international study of psychotherapists.
 * Psychotherapy & Training

Members
The society has approximately 1,100 members worldwide. Membership includes a free subscription to Psychotherapy Research.

Annual meetings
The international annual meetings take place at the end of June and have been organized since 1970. All scientific programs of the meetings are available online, back to the year 1972.

Presidents
The current president (2011/2012) is Guillermo de la Parra (Pontificia Universidad Católica). Past presidents have been: