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This study examined the relationships between patient–therapist similarity and therapy outcome. We aimed to explore whether patient–therapist match in personality and attachment styles leads to a better therapy outcome. We collected data from 77 patient–therapist dyads in short-term dynamic therapy. Patients' and therapists' personality traits (Big-5 Inventory) and attachment styles (ECR) were assessed prior to beginning therapy. Outcome was measured on the OQ-45. When patients and therapists scored either high or low on neuroticism and conscientiousness we found a decrease in symptoms from beginning to end of therapy. When patients' and therapists' combined scores were either high or low on attachment anxiety, we found an increase in symptoms. Match or mismatch on personality and attachment style in therapy dyads contributes to therapy outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aimed to explore how changes in clients' relational patterns during psychodynamic psychotherapy relate to treatment outcomes and therapy effectiveness. Method: Seventy clients receiving psychodynamic psychotherapy in a university counseling center were interviewed three times and filled out the OQ‐45 questionnaire five times during therapy. We used the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) to study clients' relational patterns. Mixed models were used to assess the interaction between clients' CCRT intensity toward their parents and toward their therapists, treatment effectiveness, and treatment outcome. Results: First, we found that clients' relational patterns with their parents correlated with relational patterns with their therapists across several time points in therapy. Then, we found significant interactions, indicating that treatment effectiveness moderates the relationship between clients' CCRT intensity and treatment outcomes. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the transference phenomenon is related to therapy outcomes differently in effective and less‐effective therapies, depending on the transference intensity. Further research is needed to expand knowledge about the intensity of transference and its possible impact on treatment choice and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals with different attachment classifications (Secure, Avoidant and Preoccupied) may experience emotional closeness differently, in their intimate relationships but also as clients in psychotherapy. However, evidence for this assumption almost exclusively comes from research with selfreport questionnaires. Aims: In this paper, we use observer-rated measures to explore in depth how patients with different attachment classifications experience closeness and distance from the therapist in different phases of therapy. Method: Three patients' and their therapists' narratives about the therapeutic relationship at three time points during therapy were extracted and analyzed with two transcript-based observational measures: The Patient Attachment Coding System (PACS), which classifies patients' attachment according to their discourse behavior, and the therapeutic-Distance Scale-Observer version (TDS-O), which assesses the therapeutic relationship in terms of closeness, distance, autonomy and engagement. Cases were chosen from a larger research project due to their different prototypical attachment classification on the PACS. The narratives were obtained from Relationship Anecdote Paradigm (RAP) interviews in which the patients and their therapists narrated separately about meaningful interactions with each other, at early, middle and late phases of therapy. In addition, we followed patients self-report of the alliance and symptoms (OQ-45). Results: Although all patients reported experiencing discomfort with feeling distant from the therapist the therapeutic distance, the secure patient was able to reflect on his feelings and, in the therapist's recollection, was able to share them with the therapist. This allowed the therapist to harness these feelings for the benefit of the therapy. The avoidant and the preoccupied patients both experienced the therapist as distant, but the avoidant patient prevented closeness by a minimal expression of feelings, and the preoccupied described strong frustration with the therapist in a one-sided manner that prevented collaborative processing and left the therapist confused. Discussion: It appears that patient discourse is a stable (trait-like) component of attachment, while the therapeutic-distance is a process (state-like) component that may change along therapy. The discourse of insecure patients may hinder therapists' ability to adjust the therapeutic-distance to patients' needs. Therapists' knowledge about the ways patients with different attachment classifications communicate their proximity wishes may improve their attunement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of a study on the association between exposure to family violence (i.e., witnessing interparental violence and experiencing parental violence) during childhood and adolescence and adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study was conducted among a self-selected convenience sample of 476 students from Sri Lanka, using a self-administered questionnaire. The findings indicate that the more participants witnessed interparental violence and the more they experienced parental violence, the more they exhibited PTSD symptoms. Moreover, the findings reveal that participants' exposure to family violence explains a significant amount of the variance in their PTSD over and above the variance that can be attributed to their sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, number of siblings, and family's socioeconomic status) and to their perceptions of the environment and functioning of their families. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future research are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

Study investigated the willingness of Israeli adolescents to seek help for emotional and health problems, and their preference for various helping agents. Gender and age were identified as factors associated with help seeking attitudes. In general, adolescents preferred seeking help from family and peers, rather than professionals, for emotional and social problems. Recommendations for counseling programs are discussed. (BF)

This study examines how changes in clients' and their therapists' perceptions of the therapeutic distance relate to changes in their reported alliance. Alliance is commonly measured using self‐report questionnaires that provide information regarding the partners' bond and collaboration, but do not reflect the interactions or events underlining them. We developed the Observer Version of the Therapeutic Distance Scale (TDS‐O; Egozi et al., 2020) to assess components of the therapeutic relationship, including closeness–distance dynamics, autonomy and engagement. Sixty‐seven clients and their 27 therapists completed the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) and underwent Relationship Anecdote Paradigm (RAP) interviews in which they related narratives about their experiences with each other three times during psychodynamic therapy (after sessions 5, 15 and 28). The clients' and their therapists' narratives were rated on the TDS‐O. Clients' and therapists' decrease in their sense that the partner was too distant correlated with WAI increase, as did therapists' decrease in their opinion that the client was too close. Increases in both partners' engagement was also related to WAI increase. A clinical example of a successful case demonstrates these changes and highlights significant moments that might contribute to positive change. The study establishes the relationship between the alliance and therapeutic distance, and reveals discrepancies in the experiences of clients and therapists. Tracking therapeutic distance has the potential to refine therapists' attunement to their clients' emotional needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empathy is an essential characteristic for therapists that explained 9% of the variance in treatment outcomes. Many measures of empathy are based on self‐report questionnaires. Therefore, they reflect how a person perceives his empathic abilities, which can be biased from his true abilities. The ability to recognize emotions has been found to be related to empathy and serves as a measure for the use of empathic abilities. In this study, we examined therapists' empathic abilities, using a novel task for recognizing emotions, and looked at how they related to the therapy process and outcomes. The study included 33 patient–therapist dyads. Therapist empathy was assessed with an emotion detection task, the JeFEE. Clients filled questionnaires after each session regarding therapy progress and their symptoms. We found that emotion recognition moderated the change in (a) client secure attachment to therapist, (b) client avoidant attachment to therapist, (c) client working alliance, (d) client rate of tense or upset they felt during the session, (e) client lack of emotional clarity of emotions, (f) client non‐acceptance of emotional responses, (g) client overall emotion regulation and (h) client main target complaint. Implication for therapy and therapists' selection and training are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ruptures in the alliance are co-constructed by clients and therapists, reflecting an interaction between their respective personality configurations [Safran, J. D., & Muran, J. C. (2000). Negotiating the therapeutic alliance: A relational treatment guide. Guilford Press]. In order to work effectively with ruptures, therapists should be aware of their own feeling states, acknowledging the subjectivity of their perceptions [Safran, J. D. (2002). Brief relational psychoanalytic treatment. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 12(2), 171–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481881209348661]. Lack of such awareness may be a product of countertransference (CT), which has been shown to be inversely related to outcome. However, when effectively managed, CT contributes to positive outcome [Hayes, J. A., Gelso, C. J., Goldberg, S., & Kivlighan, D. M. (2018). Countertransference management and effective psychotherapy: Meta-analytic findings. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 496–507. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000189]. Objectives: The present study examined the associations between types of CT and therapists' reports of ruptures and resolutions. Method: Data were collected from 27 therapists, who treated 67 clients in yearlong psychodynamic psychotherapy. CT patterns were assessed based on therapists' Core Conflictual Relationship Themes with their parents, which were repeated in narratives about their clients [Tishby, O., & Wiseman, H. (2014). Types of countertransference dynamics and their impact on the client–therapist relationship. Psychotherapy Research, 24(3), 360–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2014.893068]. Results: Negative CT patterns were associated with more ruptures and less resolution. Positive patterns predicted resolution when the therapists repeated positive patterns with parents, but predicted ruptures when they tried to "repair" negative patterns with the parents. These results point to the importance of therapists' awareness of their CT in order to deal effectively with ruptures and facilitate resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the process of brief psychodynamic therapy in a way that preserved the context of the dialogue between therapist and patient, Data were drawn from transcripts of the complete therapies of 2 anxious and depressed women, which lasted 16 to 17 sessions. Patient utterances were rated on a psychodynamically oriented progress-stagnation scale, and all therapist interventions were rated on scales measuring (a) their compatibility with the content of a psychodynamic formulation (Plan) and (b) their quality. Within-session sequential analyses and by session and by phase-of-therapy correlational analyses were performed. Plan compatibility of therapist interventions correlated significantly with patient progress in the early and middle phases, and the quality of therapist interventions correlated significantly with patient progress in the middle phase., Therapist-patient relationship in conducting psychodynamic sessions has been studied. This included quality of interaction which involved behavioral manners, the sequential progress of these brief encounters, the recording into transcripts of these meetings for progresssion reference and the observance of these so-called therapist interventions by third person raters. Results have been studied and noted, especially progress or stagnation of patients.

Attachment theory provides a framework for examining closeness–distance experiences in the development of the therapeutic relationship. Objective: To examine changes in clients' and therapists' experiences of therapeutic distance along with psychodynamic therapy. Hypotheses: Clients' and therapists' comfort with closeness and distance will increase, and the client's autonomy and engagement will increase with time. Method: A total of 67 clients and their 27 therapists underwent Relationship Paradigm interviews in which they told narratives about their experience with each other, three times during therapy. The narratives were rated on the Therapeutic Distance Scale‐Observer (TDS‐O) version. Results: Growth curve analysis of the TDS‐O ratings showed that clients decrease in perceiving therapists as too distant and increase in engagement. Therapists showed a decrease in perceiving clients as too close and an increase in granting autonomy and engagement. A clinical illustration depicts these experiences in a client–therapist dyad. Conclusions: Therapists' awareness of clients' changing needs of closeness and autonomy may enhance attunement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study comprised an examination of whether clients' playfulness, creativity, honesty, humor, and happiness changed during psychotherapy. Methods: Sixty-two clients who underwent psychotherapy in a naturalistic setting completed questionnaires at five time points throughout treatment. An HLM analytic approach was applied to account for the hierarchical nature of the data. Results: Mental distress declined during treatment, while playfulness and creativity increased significantly. Honesty decreased significantly in the course of the treatment, while no significant change was found in the level of affiliative humor or the level of happiness. Conclusions: Changes in personality variables that can serve as positive constructs defining mental health, namely playfulness, creativity, and honesty, might be a possible outcome of psychotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined whether therapists’ honesty, humor style, playfulness, and creativity would retrospectively predict the outcomes of therapies ended five years earlier. Method: In the Jerusalem-Haifa study, 29 therapists treated 70 clients in dynamic psychotherapy for 1 year. The Outcome Questionnaire 45 scores were collected at five time points. Five years later, the therapists were contacted via email and asked to fill out honesty, humor styles, playfulness, and creativity self-report questionnaires. Five were excluded since they had only one client in the study each. The remaining 24 therapists treated 65 clients out of whom 20 therapists with 54 clients completed the questionnaires. Results: Therapists’ Aggressive Humor Style (AHS) was a significant negative predictor of clients’ symptom change over time. The therapists’ honesty scores were positively correlated with symptom change. That is, higher AHS therapists were more effective, while higher honesty therapists were less effective. Conclusions: Therapists’ inferred traits of Honesty-Humility and AHS may influence the effectiveness of their treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study investigated the willingness of Israeli adolescents to seek help for emotional and health problems, and their preference for various helping agents. Nearly fifteen hundred students in grades [...]

Copyright of Psychotherapy Research is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A systematic case study approach was taken to explore the impact of client and therapist relational patterns on the development of the therapeutic alliance and symptom reduction in two cases of psychodynamic psychotherapy treated by the same therapist. The cases were selected from a larger sample and represent two distinct trajectories of alliance development: improvement versus deterioration. The comparison was based on participants' ongoing narratives about each other and about significant others, using the Relationship Anecdote Paradigm (RAP) interview. The qualitative findings were triangulated with process and outcome measures assessed at four time points during the year of treatment. We hypothesized that different therapeutic processes, including different handling by the therapist of interpersonal difficulties as they arose in treatment, could explain the two distinct trajectories of alliance development and symptom change within the caseload of one therapist. Results indicate two linked elements that may explain a steady increase in alliance and decrease in symptoms in one case, compared with the second case that started with an increase in alliance and symptom improvement, but gradually reached an impasse and a setback in symptoms. One element was the extent to which client's and therapist's relational patterns clashed, impacting each other negatively. The second was the extent to which differences and disagreements were stated openly and negotiated so that the therapist could flexibly adapt to meet the client's relational patterns in one case versus inability to do so in the other. Implications for training and other psychotherapy orientations are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message The interaction of client and therapist relational patterns may be a key factor in the development of the therapeutic alliance and might potentially impact client outcome., Therapeutic practice will likely be improved if therapists are more aware of their own relational patterns and the ways these interact with their clients' relational patterns., Striving for this awareness should probably be a main focal point for therapists throughout their careers, in their training, supervisions and personal therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clients' level of pathology and motivation for treatment predicted therapists' countertransference responses differentially, when working actively on transference compared to not working with transference. Countertransference (CT) is a ubiquitous phenomenon: therapists walk into the consulting room, bringing with them their unique ways of relating to others, their vulnerabilities, emotions, sense of humor, creativity and much more. B Clinical or methodological significance of this article: b The introduction highlights the ubiquity of countertransference and the need for further research from the perspective of different therapy model. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Psychotherapy Research is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)