Research
Every feature in AfterTherapy traces back to peer-reviewed research. Below are the key studies behind the core tools. The full reference list is available on request.
Faul, L., & LaBar, K. S. (2023). Psychological Review. PMC10076454.
A comprehensive review of mood-congruent memory, the finding that a person's current emotional state biases what they recall. Depressed individuals overestimate negative emotions and underestimate positive ones, producing a measurable 'memory-experience gap.' This is the cognitive-science foundation for capturing mood as it happens.
Kazantzis, N., Whittington, C., & Dattilio, F. (2010). Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
An expanded meta-analysis finding that therapy including homework produced substantially larger effects than control conditions without it, with no evidence of publication bias. These are large, well-replicated effects by psychotherapy standards. The work between sessions is where a large part of the change happens.
Lambert, M. J., Whipple, J. L., & Kleinstäuber, M. (2018). Psychotherapy. PMID 30335463.
A meta-analysis of routine outcome monitoring finding that the majority of ROM-assisted therapy studies outperformed treatment-as-usual. Feedback reduced deterioration and nearly doubled clinically significant improvement among clients on track for a poor outcome, the ones a practitioner most needs to catch early.
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). J Gen Intern Med, 16, 606–613.
The original validation of the PHQ-9 across thousands of primary-care patients, a brief, DSM-criteria-based measure with high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, usable both as a screener and as a severity tracker over a two-week window. One of the most cited instruments in all of mental health.
Frattaroli, J. (2006). Psychological Bulletin, 132, 823–865.
The largest meta-analysis of expressive writing, finding a small but statistically significant overall effect across psychological, physical, and functioning outcomes. It identified key moderators: effects were stronger for people under higher stress and when writing sessions were longer and more directive, supporting guided prompts.
Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018). Psychotherapy, 55, 316–340.
A landmark meta-analytic synthesis finding the therapeutic alliance to be a robust, consistent predictor of treatment outcome, holding across theoretical orientations and for both in-person and internet-based therapy. A tool that strengthens collaboration works with one of the most powerful factors in therapy.
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