Although the median length of psychotherapy in this country is estimated to be 5-8 sessions, recent epidemiological research has indicated that a small minority of the persons who make a """"""""mental health visit"""""""" in a year use the great majority of the outpatient mental health visits provided in that year. This small group of longer-term patients constitutes the bulk of psychotherapeutic practice, and creates a disproportionate impression on mental health professionals. Yet precisely because their treatment covers a considerable span of time, and because they are a small fraction of those who enter treatment, these cases are difficult to study in clinical settings which do not have both a large patient population and a commitment to providing longer-term treatment. Accordingly, longer-term psychotherapy has received little attention in the research literature. To help to remedy this situation, the present study draws on the resources of an appropriate clinical setting in order to (l) identify the distinctive demographic and clinical characteristics of successful and unsuccessful shorter- and longer-term patients, (2) compare and contrast the early therapeutic experiences of successful and unsuccessful shorter- and longer-term cases and, (3) investigate changes in therapeutic process (i.e., phases) over the course of successful and unsuccessful longer-term treatment. This is a naturalistic study of the utilization of psychotherapy. Patients, therapists, and supervisors complete a wide variety of theoretically-based questionnaires and ratings at specific points in the course of treatment. Three months after termination, patients are interviewed regarding their current functioning and help-seeking behavior.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH042901-08
Application #
2245593
Study Section
Treatment Assessment Review Committee (TA)
Project Start
1988-03-01
Project End
1996-08-31
Budget Start
1995-09-01
Budget End
1996-08-31
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1995
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Northwestern University at Chicago
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Evanston
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60201
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Lutz, Wolfgang; Martinovich, Zoran; Howard, Kenneth I et al. (2002) Outcomes management, expected treatment response, and severity-adjusted provider profiling in outpatient psychotherapy. J Clin Psychol 58:1291-304
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Howard, K I; Krause, M S; Caburnay, C A et al. (2001) Syzygy, science, and psychotherapy: the Consumer Reports study. J Clin Psychol 57:865-74
Lueger, R J; Lutz, W; Howard, K I (2000) The predicted and observed course of psychotherapy for anxiety and mood disorders. J Nerv Ment Dis 188:127-34
Donenberg, G R; Lyons, J S; Howard, K I (1999) Clinical trials versus mental health services research: contributions and connections. J Clin Psychol 55:1135-46
Lutz, W; Martinovich, Z; Howard, K I (1999) Patient profiling: an application of random coefficient regression models to depicting the response of a patient to outpatient psychotherapy. J Consult Clin Psychol 67:571-7
Krasner, R F; Howard, K I; Brown, A S (1998) The acquisition of psychotherapeutic skill: an empirical study. J Clin Psychol 54:895-903

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