Introduction to the Special Issue on Homework in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: New Clinical Psychological Science

This article introduces the Special Issue in Cognitive Therapy and Research that presents advances in clinical psychological science for homework in behavior and cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs). Studies include sophisticated evaluations of homework adherence, moving beyond simplistic assessments of quantity and quality of completion to more complete assessments of engagement (i.e., perceived difficulty, obstacles, and helpfulness). Studies advance the clinical psychological science by examining therapist behavior as a predictor of homework adherence, by testing homework as a vehicle for specific treatment processes in behavior therapy (e.g., context engagement via exposure), and also by quantifying relational patterns within longitudinal data from mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The Special Issue also includes two studies on mobile health delivery of CBT interventions and point to advances in gathering objective data on client engagement with homework.