Welcome to our little corner of the web and thank you for stopping by. 

Some people might wonder why we chose this name for our company.  Historically, professional counseling has always been promoted as a combination of art and science. The "art" of counseling has been demonstrated through the counseling skills necessary to establish a therapeutic relationship.  The "science" of counseling, the actual determination of counseling effectiveness, has long been based on personal opinions or weak outcomes research efforts that lack validity or reliability.

Advanced Counseling and Research Services is a professional, evidence-based counseling service located in Lancaster.  We have chosen to use the term "advanced" in our name because of our commitment to accountability demonstrated through formal outcomes research activities.  We believe the scientific measures generated by our outcomes research efforts are a unique characteristic of our company. 

We recognize the complexity of human behavior and the impact this has on behavioral research efforts. Advances in research strategy and computer technology have provided the opportunity for counseling professionals to embrace outcomes research in a responsible effort to measure the effectiveness of the clinical services they provide.  While our research design does include some limitations, we believe our overall research effort goes well beyond the "professional opinions" often offered as evidence of counseling progress.  We seek to prove the effectiveness of the clinical services we offer and present this information in a manner that is easily understood by the public.

As you visit our site, you will notice we offer numerous educational and informational opportunities for people to become more familiar with the many facets of evidence-based therapy.  I hope you will consider utilizing some of our services and join us on our journey to promote greater accountability in the helping services.

Dr. Paul L. West

Licensed Professional Counselor 

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