Whatever else it may be, psychotherapy offers a clear form of human com passion channeled through myriad assumptions about the causes and solu tions of human distress. There has, of course, been a longstanding debate about whether the psychotherapist is best described (and trained) as an artisan or a scientist. Volumes of scholarly argument have also addressed such themes as the essential ingredients of psychotherapy, the role of tech nique, the importance of client characteristics, and the significance of the therapist's personality. Experts have defended a wide range of opinions on these issues and have mustered evidence to support their individual claims. The purpose of the present volume is neither to defend nor to expand any specific claim about psychotherapy. Rather, it is intended to be a heuristic compendium of contemporary views on this humane endeavor. At the most basic level of analysis, the field of psychotherapy research now faces three fundamental questions: 1. Is psychotherapy effective? 2. When and why is it effective? 3. How should psychotherapists be trained? The latter two questions obviously presume that the first can be answered affirmatively. Although I would hardly defend the generalization that all forms of psychotherapy are effective for all clients, it is equally clear that there is now ample warrant for the contention that some of the things we do in our fifty-minute hours seem to have positive effects.

To understand the process of psychotherapeutic change, one must look for the answers in the psychotherapeutic process itself. This process involves the exchange of communications between two (or more) participants, and as a result of the exchange, modifications in the personality and behavior of the patient are expected to occur. But what is the nature of the therapeutic messages? How do they produce changes in the patient? What aspects of the messages are important for therapeutic change? And if the therapeutic force is somehow encoded in the messages, where shall we look for it- in sentence structure, in emotional overtones, in gestures and body movements? The Process of Psychotherapy is divided into two major parts, dealing respectively with method and with systems. In Part I, the author presents an analysis of psychotherapy process research from a communications perspective, developing an incisive and detailed analysis of the methodological issues that confront researchers in this field and suggesting theoretical and empirical strategies for addressing these issues. Part II provides the first exhaustive and detailed summary of extant psychotherapy process systems. The author first deals with direct systems, those procedures of content analysis or rating scales that have been developed to assess the exchanges between therapists and patients. Seventeen major direct process systems are presented in detail and are summarized with ample citations to the literature. The final section of the book offers an exhaustive listing and concise description of various indirect measures of psychotherapy process, which do not assess the verbatim interview exchanges of the participants in therapy but rather assess the participants' perceptions via self-report or standard analogue procedures. This book is a basic, sophisticated, and exhaustive coverage of psychotherapy process and content analysis that will become the standard and authoritative source for anyone interested in the process of psychotherapy, whether as student, researcher, or practitioner.

This book provides readers with essential information on the foundations of psychotherapy research, and on its applications to the study of both psychotherapy process and outcome. The aim is to stimulate a reflection on these issues in a way that will benefit researchers and clinicians, as well as undergraduate and graduate students, at different levels and from different perspectives. Accordingly, the book presents a balanced mix of chapters summarizing the state of the art in the field from different viewpoints and covering innovative topics and perspectives, reflecting some of the most established traditions and, at the same time, emerging approaches in the field in several countries. The contributors, who were invited from among the experts in our national and international professional networks, also represent a healthy mix of leading figures and young researchers. The first part of the book addresses a number of fundamental issues in psychotherapy research at a historical, philosophical, and theoretical level. The second part of the book is concerned with research on psychotherapy processes; in this regard, both quantitative and qualitative approaches are given equal consideration in order to reflect the growing relevance of the latter. The book’s third and last part examines research on psychotherapy outcomes, primarily focusing on quantitative approaches. Offering a balanced mix of perspectives, approaches and topics, the book represents a valuable tool for anyone interested in psychotherapy research.

To understand the process of psychotherapeutic change, one must look for the answers in the psychotherapeutic process itself. This process involves the exchange of communications between two (or more) participants, and as a result of the exchange, modifications in the personality and behavior of the patient are expected to occur. But what is the nature of the therapeutic messages? How do they produce changes in the patient? What aspects of the messages are important for therapeutic change? And if the therapeutic force is somehow encoded in the messages, where shall we look for it- in sentence structure, in emotional overtones, in gestures and body movements? The Process of Psychotherapy is divided into two major parts, dealing respectively with method and with systems. In Part I, the author presents an analysis of psychotherapy process research from a communications perspective, developing an incisive and detailed analysis of the methodological issues that confront researchers in this field and suggesting theoretical and empirical strategies for addressing these issues. Part II provides the first exhaustive and detailed summary of extant psychotherapy process systems. The author first deals with direct systems, those procedures of content analysis or rating scales that have been developed to assess the exchanges between therapists and patients. Seventeen major direct process systems are presented in detail and are summarized with ample citations to the literature. The final section of the book offers an exhaustive listing and concise description of various indirect measures of psychotherapy process, which do not assess the verbatim interview exchanges of the participants in therapy but rather assess the participants' perceptions via self-report or standard analogue procedures. This book is a basic, sophisticated, and exhaustive coverage of psychotherapy process and content analysis that will become the standard and authoritative source for anyone interested in the process of psychotherapy, whether as student, researcher, or practitioner.

The Therapeutic Process presents an informative, sequential, well-defined, and clinically rich guide to the process of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Specifically designed to have broad appeal and value for the beginning clinician as well as the more experienced clinician, this book includes many illustrative examples and well-defined terms.

The concept of self for many psychotherapists has alluring appeal that conceals a haunting paradox. The contributors to this book examine the root of this paradox: How can therapy that is predicated on the notion of self as firmly bound and highly individuated succeed when this concept is being challenged by the postmodern view of the self as much more fluid and complex? If one accepts that the self can only be understood in context and in relation to another, is capable of multiplicity, and is a social and historical construction, how does one alter one's approach to understanding disorder and change? In this book, prominent scholars examine the major tenets of postmodernism and apply them to psychoanalytic, humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral, explore such concepts as multiplicity, social constructionism, intersubjectivity, deconstruction, and contextualism in light of the day-to-day challenges that must be resolved by therapists. The result is an example of how theory continues to shape and enrich the practice of psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved).

This hands-on introduction to psychotherapy process research methods takes the student clinician/researcher through the basic steps of developing a research project based on a transcript of a psychotherapy session. The major text-based methods in use are introduced in separate chapters, and illustrated with detailed examples and exercises which will enable the novice researcher to explore the therapeutic interaction from a variety of perspectives. The aim of the book is to support and enhance clinical practice through research competence and awareness.

and knowledge, and as a possible way to illuminate change processes in psychotherapy. Today, developmental researchers and neuroscientists increasingly locate keys to psychological health and development in the earliest interactions between mother and infant." "This book, which consists of significant papers by the BCPSG, traces the group's contributions to psychoanalytic topics of note, including; the location of the implicit, the creation of meaning, the moment-by-moment clinical process, and the subjective experience of the therapist. The book also includes new introductions to selected chapters, which provide background on the original intent and reception of each article." --Book Jacket.