Abstract
Background: The quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal in determining psychotherapy outcomes. However, facilitating patients’ self-awareness, reflection on, and sharing of their affective responses to their therapist remains underexplored as a potential tool for enhancing this relationship and subsequent treatment outcomes.
Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to examine whether and how the patients’ regular self-monitoring and self-reflection (fostered by the systematic compilation of a brief postsession battery) on their affective reactions toward the psychotherapist impact the quality of the therapeutic relationship and treatment outcomes in individual psychotherapy. Secondary objectives are: (a) to explore whether and how the characteristics of the patient, the therapist, and the process moderate the effect of regular self-monitoring on the therapeutic relationship and outcomes; (b) to examine the relationships between the affective response of the patient, the alliance and the result of the therapy session outcome; (c) to explore how the affective responses of the patient unfold/change throughout the course of the therapy.
Methods: The study is a 1:1 randomized control trial of adults in individual psychotherapy versus individual psychotherapy plus self-monitoring. Participants will be enrolled through the online recruitment platforms ResearchMatch and Research for Me, and data will be collected through online surveys. Participants in the control group will receive only their regular individual psychotherapy (treatment as usual) and will not complete post-session questionnaires. Participants in the intervention group will continue their regular individual psychotherapy sessions and complete the in-Session Patient Affective Reactions Questionnaire and the Rift In-Session Questionnaire following each therapy session in the 10 weeks of the trial. Additionally, after completion of the postsession battery, they will receive general written feedback encouraging them to discuss their feelings and reflections with their therapist. Participants in both groups will complete a comprehensive psychological assessment at baseline, mid-trial (5th week), and end-of-trial (10th week). The primary outcome measure of the trial is the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation–Outcome Measure, while the secondary outcomes are the Real Relationship Inventory–Client–Short Form, the Working Alliance Inventory–Short Revised, and the number of scheduled therapy sessions that the patient has missed or canceled.
Results: The trial was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recruitment started in September 2023. N=475 individuals completed the baseline assessment. We expect to complete the data collection in February 2024.
Conclusions: This study could reveal key information on how regular self-monitoring and introspection can influence both the therapeutic relationship and the treatment outcomes. Findings have the potential to shape interventions, enhancing the efficacy of psychotherapeutic sessions, and possibly offering a cost-effective strategy for improving patients’ well-being.
Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to examine whether and how the patients’ regular self-monitoring and self-reflection (fostered by the systematic compilation of a brief postsession battery) on their affective reactions toward the psychotherapist impact the quality of the therapeutic relationship and treatment outcomes in individual psychotherapy. Secondary objectives are: (a) to explore whether and how the characteristics of the patient, the therapist, and the process moderate the effect of regular self-monitoring on the therapeutic relationship and outcomes; (b) to examine the relationships between the affective response of the patient, the alliance and the result of the therapy session outcome; (c) to explore how the affective responses of the patient unfold/change throughout the course of the therapy.
Methods: The study is a 1:1 randomized control trial of adults in individual psychotherapy versus individual psychotherapy plus self-monitoring. Participants will be enrolled through the online recruitment platforms ResearchMatch and Research for Me, and data will be collected through online surveys. Participants in the control group will receive only their regular individual psychotherapy (treatment as usual) and will not complete post-session questionnaires. Participants in the intervention group will continue their regular individual psychotherapy sessions and complete the in-Session Patient Affective Reactions Questionnaire and the Rift In-Session Questionnaire following each therapy session in the 10 weeks of the trial. Additionally, after completion of the postsession battery, they will receive general written feedback encouraging them to discuss their feelings and reflections with their therapist. Participants in both groups will complete a comprehensive psychological assessment at baseline, mid-trial (5th week), and end-of-trial (10th week). The primary outcome measure of the trial is the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation–Outcome Measure, while the secondary outcomes are the Real Relationship Inventory–Client–Short Form, the Working Alliance Inventory–Short Revised, and the number of scheduled therapy sessions that the patient has missed or canceled.
Results: The trial was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Recruitment started in September 2023. N=475 individuals completed the baseline assessment. We expect to complete the data collection in February 2024.
Conclusions: This study could reveal key information on how regular self-monitoring and introspection can influence both the therapeutic relationship and the treatment outcomes. Findings have the potential to shape interventions, enhancing the efficacy of psychotherapeutic sessions, and possibly offering a cost-effective strategy for improving patients’ well-being.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | JMIR research protocols |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 30 Jan 2024 |