Understanding Research in Clinical and Counseling Psychology by 
Qualitative Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy by 
Evidence-Based Outcome Research : A Practical Guide to Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials for Psychosocial Interventions by APA handbook of research methods in psychology, 2012, Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
The three-volume APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology features descriptions of many techniques that psychologists and others have developed to help them pursue a shared understanding of why humans think, feel, and behave the way they do. At the broadest level, when choosing a method you make decisions about (a) what data or measurement techniques will best capture the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that interest you; (b) what research design best fits the question that you want to answer; and (c) what strategies for data analysis best match the characteristics of your design and measurements. The simplest choice for organizing the presentation of material is the temporal sequence in which you will make these decisions. This is roughly what we have done (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol 1: Foundations, planning, measures, and psychometrics. by 
APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol 2: Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological. by 
APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol 3: Data analysis and research publication. by