Patient Ratings of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Session Activities and Their Relation to Outcome

Abstract

This study examines patient ratings of modality-specific technical interventions and their relation to therapeutic treatment change. The sample consisted of 55 individuals engaged in short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy at a university-based community outpatient treatment center. Results demonstrate that not only were patients capable of recognizing specific technical processes occurring within their psychotherapy, but also that those ratings were significantly related to measures of therapeutic outcome. Furthermore, patient ratings of session activities were found to be stable from early session rating to late in treatment. Findings support the conclusion that, as rated from the patient perspective, some degree of flexibility in and integration of modality-specific techniques is beneficial for outcome. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.