Purpose: This study aimed to assess how accessible, acceptable, and effective psychodynamic psychotherapy (PP) is perceived to be by service users. Method: Interviews were conducted with 10 participants, who had finished, or were attending, PP. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Most participants understood how they had…

Purpose: Attrition is a common problem in psychotherapy and can be defined as clients ending treatment before achieving an optimal response. Method: This longitudinal, archival study utilized data for 3,728 clients, using the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2. A Cox regression proportional hazards (hazard ratios) model was used in order to better…

Working with suicidal clients is perceived to be demanding and anxiety provoking for psychotherapists. This investigation explores what it is like for psychotherapists who work with suicidal clients, particularly as within the prevailing culture there is an increasing focus on strategies aimed at suicide prevention. Five themes were identified…

In this paper we introduce and investigate the capacity for a novel, technologically advanced system (goACT) to enhance face-to-face psychotherapy. Specifically, we explore the capacity for goACT to enhance therapeutic alliance (TA) and engagement, and reduce distress. Using a mixed-methods, multiple-baseline design we present the first study to…

The Butabika-East London Link collaborated with Ugandan mental health services to train mental health professionals (psychiatric clinical officers, "PCOs", and clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, "Core Group") in psychological therapies. The aims of this research were to investigate how professionals were applying and…

Despite the overall efficacy of psychotherapy, dropouts are substantial, many clients do not benefit, therapists vary in effectiveness, and there may be a crisis of confidence among consumers. A research paradigm called "patient-focused research"--a method of enhancing outcome via continuous progress feedback--holds promise to address these…

For Dr. William Glasser (1965), the world-famous originator of Reality Therapy, the first question that he generally asks of all those who seek his services is: "What do you want?" While seeking to acquire an answer to this inquiry, however, he strongly recommends that the therapist also "make friends with the client," so that the relationship is…

The present study evaluated an implementation intention intervention that aimed to increase attendance at scheduled, initial appointments for psychotherapy by helping clients to manage negative feelings about attendance. Participants received a postal questionnaire that measured their views about attending psychotherapy. One half of the sample was…

Studied client retrospective recall of major misunderstanding events in 19 cases of therapy. Found that good relationship, clients' willingness to assert negative feelings about being misunderstood, and therapists' facilitation of mutual repair effort through maintaining flexible and accepting stance typically led to resolution. (Author/NB)

Notes that, in assessing and diagnosing children and adolescents for psychological treatment, attention must be paid to variations across sources of assessment data, comorbidity of diagnoses, and potential utility of family diagnosis. Presents specific methodological recommendations regarding randomized clinical trials, control groups, dependent…

This review identifies two areas of therapist in-session functioning that contribute to positive psychotherapy outcome. The first area discussed is therapist interpersonal characteristics, or non-specific factors, and therapist interventions that contribute to establishing and maintaining a therapeutic alliance. Alliance has been shown in…

There are no meaningful statistics on the number of people who leave destructive cults and no salient picture emerges regarding the frequency of maladaptive conditions following cult involvement. Nonetheless, of the total number of individuals coming out of cults, a seemingly significant subgroup evidences severely neurotic or psychotic-like…

There is currently a strong interest in brief psychodynamic therapy. Therapists adopting this approach need to become familiar with different character or personality styles. The psychodynamic therapist who understands and works in conjunction with the client's particular character style will be able to establish a therapeutic relationship more…

Administered Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) and confidence rating scale (CRS) to 13 psychotherapists and 62 clients. Results from RVS demonstrated therapists were more value stable than their clients and that clients shifted their value systems toward therapists' value configurations. Results from CRS indicated therapists were more confident than were…

Uses metaphor of the wedding in an arranged marriage to describe the process of using a network meeting to overcome resistance and engage a hostile adolescent and her family in a residential treatment program. Review of the literature is followed by description of a clinical case. Practical and theoretical issues are discussed. (Author/NB)