The 5th “La Xarxa a Debat” Conference”, held on March 4, 2011, devoted themselves to “The Evaluation of Psychotherapeutic Interventions in the Public Mental Health and Addictions Network”.

The conference highlighted the incorporation of the psychotherapy in the portfolio of services of the public mental health and addictions system.

The need to define and evaluate the different modalities of psychotherapeutic intervention was raised.

The debate addressed how to assess the efficacy and efficiency of psychotherapies in the specific context of the public network.

It was emphasized that psychotherapy, especially in severe mental disorders, must be integrated with other therapeutic and care strategies.

Among the issues raised was the difference between evaluating specific interventions or care pathways, as well as the use of quantitative and qualitative indicators.

The event featured contributions on research and evaluation of psychotherapeutic interventions.

Evaluation experiences in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, group therapy, family therapy, and different care programs were also presented.

The meeting called for a rigorous evaluation, but one sensitive to complexity of therapeutic processes and of the people cared for.

Overall, the conference contributed to the debate on how to improve the quality and evaluation of psychotherapeutic interventions within the public mental health and addictions network