Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research
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Some studies have suggested that a decrease in immersion (egocentric perspective on personal experiences) and an increase in distancing (observer perspective on personal experiences) are associated with the resolution of clinical problems and positive outcome in psychotherapy for depression. To help clarify how this change in perspectives relates to clinical change, the present study compared changes in immersion and distancing across therapy with progress in one client's assimilation of her problematic experiences. ⋯ The decrease of immersion and increase of distancing associated with therapeutic improvement should not be taken as a recommendation to avoid immersion and encourage distancing. Immersion and distancing may work as coordinated aspects of the processes of psychotherapeutic change.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
How and when feedback works in psychotherapy: Is it the signal?
Monitoring of ongoing psychotherapy is of crucial importance in improving the quality of mental health care, and feedback (FB) about patients' progress has been established as a viable means. The essential feature of FB models is that patient progress is measured continuously through therapy. ⋯ The use of OQ®-Analyst should be recommended in psychotherapeutic settings in Norway. Given the inconsistent results regarding the effect of warning signals, definitive conclusions about their effect may depend upon how and for whom it is used.
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Our objectives were to describe the frequency of therapists' dreams about their clients and clients' dreams about their therapists, to determine how therapists and clients who had such dreams differed from those who did not have such dreams, whether therapy process and outcome differed for those who had and did not have such dreams, and to describe the content and consequences of these dreams. ⋯ Therapists-in-training dreamed more about their clients than their clients dreamed about them. Dreams about clients can be used by therapists to understand themselves, clients, and the dynamics of the therapy relationship.
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Decentering is described as referring to one's current mental experiences from an objective perspective. This study presents a psychometric evaluation of a German version of the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ-D), a self-report instrument designed to measure decentering. ⋯ Preliminary evidence for the validity of the EQ-D was demonstrated via negative correlations with measures of depression and depressive rumination. The present results stress the multidimensional nature of decentering and provide important suggestions for future research on how to investigate and operationalize the decentering construct.
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Clients' and therapists' within-session experiences of relational connection were investigated using an analogue design. Eighty "therapist-client" dyads rated, on a minute-by-minute basis, their levels of connection to the other over a 20 minute counselling session. ⋯ Clients experienced a greater increase in feelings of connection with therapists that they perceived as less anxious; while older therapists, and therapists who believed they were perceived as more agreeable, experienced a deeper connection. Clients' and therapists' perception of connection were significantly associated, with a median within-dyad correlation of .76.