The proposed research project is an investigation into the relationship of therapist skill, and three treatment process variables, with patient improvement in time-limited group psychotherapy. Due to the increased use of group psychotherapy as a treatment of choice in mental health delivery systems, it behooves mental health researchers to better explain those factors associated with patient improvement. Highly skilled group psychotherapists (4) will be compared with unskilled alternate therapists (4) on multiple measures (3) of treatment outcome in addition to three process measures: a) level of insession therapeutic focusing, b) amount of insession curativeness (cohesion, catharsis and insight), and quality of therapeutic relationship; all of which have been suggested as predictive of patient improvement in short-term group psychotherapy. A waitlist control group will be examined to control for patient improvement across time, with pre-treatment, post-treatment and a six-month follow-up measurement sequence. Analysis of variance and multiple regression procedures will be used to ascertain the predictive relationship between these primary and unique factors of group psychotherapy and patient improvement, as well as examining their relationship with therapist skill. Long term aims of this project are to better describe and explain those variables associated with patient improvement in time-limited group psychotherapy to provide more cost-efficient mental health services.
| Burlingame, G M; Barlow, S H (1996) Outcome and process differences between professional and nonprofessional therapists in time-limited group psychotherapy. Int J Group Psychother 46:455-78 |
