The sequences of historical shifts in research foci in psychotherapy are reviewed. Two emerging trends are examined: focus on micro-analysis of small units that exemplify client change; and fine-grained analyses of client-therapists interactions that encapsulate significant therapy events in clinical contexts. Several examples of each of these types of research programmes are described. Based on the apparent evolution of questions that are considered relevant and useful for the better understanding of best clinical practices, some tentative conclusions are offered as to the types of research that will gain prominence in the next generation of inquiries.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AltimirC.KrauseM.de la ParraG.DagninoP.TomicicA.ValdésN.VilchesO. (2010). Clients’, therapists’, and observers’ agreement on the amount, temporal location, and content of psychotherapeutic change and its relation to outcome. Psychotherapy Research, 20, 472–487. doi:10.1080/10503301003705871
2.
AronL. (1996). A meeting of minds: Mutuality in psychoanalysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Analytic Press.
3.
AtkinsonJ. M.HeritageJ. (Eds.). (1984). Structures of social action: Studies in conversation analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4.
BediR. P.HorvathA. O. (2004). Balanced versus biased alliance: Perceptions of own and partner’s alliance and psychotherapeutic outcome in short-term couples therapy. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 3, 65–80. doi:10.1300/J398v03n04_04
5.
BerginA. E.GarfieldS. L. (Eds.). (1972). Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change: An empirical analysis. Oxford: John Wiley.
6.
BordinE. S. (1976). The generalizability of the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice and Training, 16, 252–260. doi:10.1037/h0085885
7.
BordinE. S. (1989). Building therapeutic alliances: The base for integration. Berkeley, CA: Society for Psychotherapy Research.
8.
ChamblessD. L. (2002). Beware the dodo bird: The dangers of overgeneralization. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 13–16.
9.
ChamblessD. L.HolonS. D. (1998). Defining emperically supported therapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 497–504.
10.
DoranJ. M.SafranJ. D.MuranJ. C. (2015). The alliance negotiation scale: A psychometric investigation. Psychological Assessment. doi:10.1037/pas0000222
11.
ElkinI.FalconnierL.SmithY.CanadaE. K.HendersonE.BrownE. R.McKayB. M. (2014). Therapist responsiveness and patient engagement in therapy. Psychotherapy Research, 24, 52–66. doi:10.1080/10503307.2013.820855
12.
EysenckH. J. (1952). The effects of psychotherapy: An evaluation. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 16, 319–324. doi:10.1037/h0063633
13.
EysenckH. J. (1992). The effects of psychotherapy: An evaluation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 659–663. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.60.5.659
14.
FonagyP. (1998). Moments of change in psychoanalytic theory: Discussion of a new theory of psychic change. Infant Mental Health Journal, 19, 346–353. doi:10.1002/(ISSN)1097-0355
15.
GonçalvesM. M.GabaldaI. C.RibeiroA. P.PinheiroP.BorgesR.SousaI.StilesW. B. (2014). The innovative moments coding system and the assimilation of problematic experiences scale: A case study comparing two methods to track change in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy Research, 24, 442–455. doi:10.1080/10503307.2013.835080
16.
HeritageJ. (2011). Territories of knowledge, territories of experience: Emphatic moments in interaction. In ShriversT.MalandaL.SreensingJ. (Eds.), The morality of knowledge in interaction (pp. 150–183). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
17.
HorvathA. O. (2003). Alliance at the crossroad: An assessment of what has been achieved and the significant challenges that lie ahead. Newport, RI: North American Society for Psychotherapy Research.
18.
HorvathA. O. (2011). Alliance in Common Factor Land: A view through the research lens. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 14, 121–135.
19.
HorvathA. O.Del ReA. C.FlückigerC.SymondsB. D. (2011). Alliance in individual psychotherapy. In NorcrossJ. C. (Ed.), Psychotherapy relationships that work (pp. 29–69). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
20.
KrauseM.De La ParraG.ArísteguiR.DagninoP.TomicicA.ValdésN.Ben-DovP. (2007). The evolution of therapeutic change studied through generic change indicators. Psychotherapy Research, 17, 673–689. doi:10.1080/10503300601158814
21.
LambertM. J. (2011). Psychotherapy research and its achievements. In NorcrossJ. C.VandenBosG. R.FreedheimD. K. (Ed.). History of psychotherapy: Continuity and change (2nd ed.). (pp. 299–332). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
22.
LambertM. J. (2013). The efficacy and effectivenessof psychotherapy. In LambertM. J. (Ed.), Bergin & Garfield’s handbook of psychotherapy and behaviour change (pp. 169–218). New York, NY: Wiley.
23.
LambertM. J.OglesB. M. (2004). The efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapy. In LambertM. J. (Ed.), Bergin & Garfield’s handbook of psychotherapy and behaviour change (pp. 139–193). New York, NY: Wiley.
24.
LeinmanM. (2004). Dialogical sequence analysis. In DimaggioH. H. H. G. (Ed.), The dialogical self in psychotherapy (pp. 255–269). London: Brunner-Rutledge.
25.
LeinmanM.StilesW. B. (2001). Dialogical sequence analysis and the zone of proximal development as conceptual enhancements to the assimilation model: The case of Jan revisted. Psychotherapy Research, 11, 311–330. doi:10.1080/713663986
26.
LuborskyL.DiguerL.SeligmanD. A.RosenthalR.KrauseE. D.JohnsonS.SchweizerE. (1999). The researcher’s own therapy allegiances: A ‘wild card’ in comparisons of treatment efficacy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6, 95–106.
27.
LuborskyL.MintzJ.AuerbachA.Crits-CristophP.BacharachH.ToddT.O’BrienC. P. (1980). Predicting the outcomes of psychotherapy: Findings of the Penn Psychotherapy Study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 37, 471–481.
28.
LuborskyL.SingerB.LuborskyL. (1975). Comparative studies of psychotherapies; ‘Is it true that everybody has won and all must have prizes’?Archives of General Psychiatry, 32, 995–1008. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1975.01760260059004
29.
MacMartinC. (2008). Resisting optimistic questions in narrative and solution-focused therapies. In PeräkyläA.AntakiC.VehviläinenS.LeudarI. (Eds.), Conversation analysis and psychotherapy (pp. 80–99). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
30.
MitchellS. A. (1997). Influence and autonomy in psychoanalysis. Mahwah, NJ: Analytic Press.
31.
MuntiglP.HorvathA. O. (2009). Noticing client behaviour: A conversation analytic approach. Bolzano: European Society for Psychotherapy Research.
32.
MuntiglP.HorvathA. O. (2014). ‘I can see some sadness in your eyes’: When Experiential therapists notice a Client’s Affectual display. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 47, 89–108. doi:10.1080/08351813.2014.900212
33.
NorcrossJ. C. (Ed.). (2002). Psychotherapy realationships that work: Therapist contributions responsiveness to patients. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
34.
NorcrossJ. C. (2011). Psychotherapy relationships that work: Evidence-based responsiveness (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
35.
NorcrossJ. C.LambertM. J. (2011). Evidence-based therapy relationships. In NorcrossJ. C.NorcrossJ. C. (Eds.), Psychotherapy relationships that work: Evidence-based responsiveness (2nd ed., pp. 3–21). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
36.
NorcrossJ. C.LambertM. J. (2014). Relationship science and practice in psychotherapy: Closing commentary. Psychotherapy, 51, 398–403. doi:10.1037/a0037418
37.
PeräkyläA. (2004). Making Links in Psychoanalytic Interpretations: A Conversation Analytical Perspective. Psychotherapy Research, 14, 289–307.
38.
ReyesL.ArísteguiR.KrauseM.StrasserK.TomicicA.ValdésN.Ben-DovP. (2008). Language and therapeutic change: A speech acts analysis. Psychotherapy Research, 18, 355–362. doi:10.1080/10503300701576360
39.
RibeiroA. P.RibeiroE.LouraJ.GonçalvesM. M.StilesW. B.HorvathA. O.SousaI. (2014). Therapeutic collaboration and resistance: Describing the nature and quality of the therapeutic relationship within ambivalence events using the Therapeutic Collaboration Coding System. Psychotherapy Research, 24, 346–359. doi:10.1080/10503307.2013.856042
40.
RibeiroE.GonçalvesM. M.HorvathA. O. (2009). Therapeutic alliance as a balance of therapist and client’s complementary actions. Bolzano: European Society for Psychotherapy Research.
41.
RibeiroE.RibeiroA. P.GonçalvesM. M.HorvathA. O.StilesW. B. (2013). How collaboration in therapy becomes therapeutic: The Therapeutic Collaboration Coding System. Psychotherapy Research86, 294–314.
42.
RogersC. R. (1951). Client centered therapy. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press.
43.
RuusuvuoriJ. (2012). Emotion, affect and conversation. In SidnellJ.StiversT. (Eds.), The handbook of conversation analysis (pp. 330–349). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
44.
SafranJ. D.KrausJ. (2014). Alliance ruptures, impasses, and enactments: A relational perspective. Psychotherapy, 51, 381–387.
45.
SafranJ. D.MuranJ. C. (2006). Has the concept of the therapeutic alliance outlived its usefulness?Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43, 286–291. doi:10.1037/0033-3204.43.3.286
SmithM. L.GlassG. V. (1977). Meta-analysis of psychotherapy outcome studies. American Psychologist, 32, 752–760. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.32.9.752
48.
SousaZ.HorvathA. O.RibeiroE. (2010). A system for observing therapeutic responsiveness: A tool for research, practice and training. Assilomar, CA: Society for Psychotherapy Research.
49.
StilesW. B. (2011). Coming to terms. Psychotherapy Research, 21, 367–384. doi:10.1080/10503307.2011.582186
StilesW. B.Honos-WebL.SurkoM. (1998). Responsiveness in psychotherapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 5, 439–458.
52.
StilesW. B.HorvathA. O. (press). Appropriate responsiveness: A key therapist function. In CastonguayL.HillC. E. (Eds.), Therapist effects and therapist effectiveness. Washington, DC: APA Books.
53.
ValdésN.DagninoP.KrauseM.PérezJ. C.AltimirC.TomicicA.De la ParraG. (2010). Analysis of verbalized emotions in the psychotherapeutic dialogue during change episodes. Psychotherapy Research, 20, 136–150. doi:10.1080/10503300903170921
54.
VoutilainenL.PeräkyläA.RuusuvuoriJ. (2010). Recognition and interpretation: Responding to emotional experience in psychotherapy. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 43, 85–107. doi:10.1080/08351810903474799
55.
VygotskyL. (1924/1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
56.
WhiteM. (2007). Maps of narrative practice. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co.
