"Picking up the pieces": Patients' retrospective reflections of rupture resolution episodes during treatment

Objective: Although theorists and researchers have stressed the importance of rupture resolution episodes for successful treatment process and outcome, little is known about patients' retrospective reflections about rupture resolution. Aim: The overarching goal of the present study was to use a mixed-method approach to examine patients' retrospective reflections on the frequency, types, and consequences of rupture resolution episodes and the association between rupture resolution episodes and patients' attachment orientation and treatment outcome. Method: Thirty-eight patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) were interviewed, on average three years after termination, about their experiences of ruptures in short-term dynamic psychotherapy. Results: Thirty patients reported having experienced at least one rupture, with patients who showed less improvement in depressive symptoms more likely to report having had a rupture. Ruptures were judged as having been successfully resolved for 13 of these patients; suggesting that patients with a high level of attachment anxiety were less likely to be judged as having had a successful resolution. Patients whose ruptures were successfully resolved with the therapist's help reported better treatment process and outcome than patients whose ruptures were not successfully resolved. Conclusion: Results highlight the importance of hearing patients' perspectives on ruptures, rupture resolution, and treatment outcome.

A multimodal case study utilizing physiological synchrony as indicator of context in which motion synchrony is associated with the working alliance

Interest in the association between patient and therapist's motion synchrony and the working alliance has been growing in recent years. This interest is part of a larger effort in psychotherapy research to study how the working alliance, being central to the therapeutic process, develops over the course of therapy. However, while previous studies suggest that such an association between motion synchrony and the working alliance exists, there are mixed results regarding the direction of it. The present single-case study seeks to shed light on these mixed results with a multimodal perspective of nonverbal synchrony. That is, through an exploration of a single case, the present study explores physiological synchrony as an indicator of context in which motion synchrony is associated with the working alliance. For this aim, a single case was chosen from a randomized control trial investigating short-term psychodynamic treatment for major depressive disorder. Statistical analysis identified an interaction between physiological synchrony and motion synchrony in predicting working alliance levels. Findings show that in the context of an antiphase pattern of physiological synchrony (negative association between physiological measures of the two participants), there was a positive association between motion synchrony and the working alliance. This study emphasizes the potential of a multimodal approach, while suggesting a possible explanation for mixed results in current literature that focuses on the association between motion synchrony and the working alliance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Unpacking the active ingredients of internet-based psychodynamic therapy for adolescents

Internet-based psychodynamic psychotherapy (iPDT) for adolescents has been found to be effective for treating depression, but not much is known about its active ingredients.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the techniques used in chat sessions in an iPDT program for depressed adolescents, and to investigate whether they predicted improvement in depression symptoms.

METHOD

The study uses data collected from a pilot study. The iPDT consisted of 8 modules delivered over 10 weeks that included text, video, exercises, and a weekly text-based chat session with a therapeutic support worker (TSW). The participants were 23 adolescents meeting criteria for depression. The TSWs were 9 psychology master's students. A depression inventory QIDS-A17-SR was filled weekly by the participants, and a self-rated techniques inventory (MULTI-30) was filled by the TSWs after each chat session.

RESULTS

Common factor techniques were the most widely used techniques in the chat sessions. Both common factors and psychodynamic techniques predicted improvement in depression, with psychodynamic techniques predicting improvement at the following week. CBT techniques were also used but did not predict improvement in depression.

CONCLUSION

iPDT seem to work in line with theory, where the mechanisms thought to be important for change in treatment were predictive of outcome.

Connecting over the internet: Establishing the therapeutic alliance in an internet-based treatment for depressed adolescents

Internet-based treatments have been developed for youth mental health difficulties, with promising results. However, little is known about the features of therapeutic alliance, and how it is established and maintained, in text-based interactions between adolescents and therapists in internet-based treatments. This study uses data collected during a pilot evaluation of a psychodynamic internet-based therapy for depressed adolescents. The adolescents had instant-messaging chats with their therapists once a week, over 10 weeks. The adolescents also rated the therapeutic alliance each week, using the Session Alliance Inventory. The present study uses qualitative methods to analyse transcripts of text-based communication between the young people and their therapists. The aim is to identify and describe the key features of therapeutic alliance, and reflect upon the implications for theory and clinical practice. Analysis identified three 'values' that may underpin a strong therapeutic alliance: togetherness, agency and hope. A number of therapist techniques were also found, which seemed to create a sense of these values during text-chat sessions. These findings are discussed, alongside implications for future research.

When less is more: The perception of psychotherapy techniques as a function of patient personality disorder

OBJECTIVE

Psychopathology research suggests that individuals with higher levels of personality disorder (PD) traits, especially those with a comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD), tend to be highly aroused in interpersonal contexts, manifested by an intensified perception of interpersonal interactions. Little is known about the way this tendency manifests in the process of psychotherapy. The current study explored the patient's perception of techniques in psychotherapy among patients with higher vs. lower levels of PD, as well as the patient-therapist agreement on techniques used.

DESIGN

The study used an integration of qualitative and quantitative methodology on data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) for the treatment of depression.

METHOD

Sixty-nine patients with MDD participated in the study and were evaluated for PD symptoms prior to treatment. A set of multilevel analyses were conducted to assess the association between PD and perception of techniques, as well as a zoom-in exploration within a case study.

RESULTS

Patients with higher levels of PD reported more techniques implemented by the therapist than patients with lower levels. In addition, the agreement between patient and therapist on techniques was lower, such that patients with PDs reported more techniques than their therapist. The case study supported these findings and illustrates the potential for patients with PDs to perceive a greater use of techniques as a sign of therapist investment.

CONCLUSION

Consistent with psychopathology research, the findings suggest that patients with PDs tend to experience techniques as more intense than the therapist, in comparison with patients without PD.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

There are indications that patients with higher levels of personality disorder traits will tend to experience the techniques in psychotherapy in a more intense manner than patients with lower level personality disorder traits. It is likely that patients with higher levels of personality disorder traits will experience their therapists as more active than therapists think they are. Therapists of patients with higher levels of personality disorders should be sensitive of each of their patients' experiences. As the case study demonstrated at least in some cases patients with higher levels of personality disorder may experience the techniques in an intense manner as a sign of therapist investment, however, other patients may experience this differently. Therefore, it is crucial for the therapist to be aware of how the patient experienced the encounter - investment or intrusiveness.

"Take a sad song and make it better": What makes an interpretation growth facilitating for the patient?

Interpretations are considered to be an important active ingredient in psychodynamic treatment. Research shows mixed results regarding the empirical utility of interpretations, and continuing efforts are needed to investigate what makes interpretations helpful and effective. Our aim was to examine what allows an interpretation to facilitate growth, promoting the flourishing of the patient. We developed a coding system for evaluating the growth-facilitating elements of interpretation (GFI). The GFI is based on 3 scales: the optimal context for implementing the interpretation, the extent to which the interpretation includes positive regard and collaboration, and instills hope, and the immediate results of the interpretation. The GFI was used in a case study of a patient receiving supportive-expressive psychotherapy for depression. Analyses examined between-sessions and within-session processes. The integration of findings from the between-sessions and within-session analyses suggests that growth-facilitating techniques, manifest in growing positive regard, collaboration, and instilling hope, resulted in better outcomes, as reflected in the patient's new associations, mood, and self-esteem, as well as in alliance, attachment to the therapist, and reduction of depressive symptoms. The present study demonstrates the benefits of integrating the psychodynamic perspective with that of positive psychology, for building interpretations that facilitate hope, growth, and flourishing. The GFI shows promise both for psychotherapy research and clinical practice and helps bridge the gap between the two. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

How do supportive techniques bring about therapeutic change: The role of therapeutic alliance as a potential mediator

Although supportive techniques play an important role in supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for their effect on treatment success. In this study, we propose and investigate a model according to which the mechanism of change underlying the effect of supportive techniques on therapeutic improvement is the strengthening of the therapeutic alliance. According to the proposed mediation model, the implementation of supportive techniques brings about strengthening in the alliance, which in turn results in subsequent reduction in symptoms. The present study was designed to test the proposed mediation model. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 61 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and enrolled in an ongoing psychotherapy trial. For each patient, Session 4 of the supportive-expressive treatment was coded for therapist adherence to supportive techniques, using the Penn Adherence-Competence Scale. The therapeutic alliance was assessed using a self-report scale, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was used to assess the subsequent change in symptoms. The analyses suggest a significant mediation model, according to which the implementation of supportive techniques resulted in improvements in the alliance, which in turn resulted in reduction in symptoms at the subsequent session (bootstrapping for the indirect effect, 95% confidence interval [-1.96, -0.16]). The findings support the proposed mediation model, suggesting that the alliance may act as a mechanism of change underlying the effect of supportive techniques on treatment success. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

If you believe that breaking is possible, believe also that fixing is possible: a framework for ruptures and repairs in child psychotherapy

Safran and Muran's classic theoretical framework of alliance rupture and repair suggests effective techniques for repairing alliance ruptures. Accumulating empirical evidence suggests that successful processes of rupture and repair result in better therapeutic outcome and reduced dropout rates. Although ruptures in the alliance in child psychotherapy are frequent, little is known about how to repair them. The present paper proposes a model for identifying and repairing ruptures in child psychotherapy based on Safran and Muran. It consists of four phases: i) identifying the rupture and understanding its underlying communication message, ii) indicating the presence of the rupture, iii) accepting responsibility over the therapists' part in the rupture and emphasizing the children's active role as communicators of their distress, and iv) resolving the rupture using change strategies and meta-communication by constructing a narrative story. The theoretical rationale of each phase is explained in detail, and practical clinical guidelines are provided. Empirical studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

The process of change in psychotherapy with a pregnant patient following perinatal losses: An analysis of a case study

AIM

Despite research suggesting increased anxiety and depressive symptoms after a perinatal loss and during future pregnancies, little knowledge exists to guide clinicians treating pregnant women after perinatal loss. This case study explores processes that facilitated therapeutic change for a pregnant patient with major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder after perinatal losses.

METHOD

The study integrated quantitative and narrative analyses in a single case derived from the pilot phase of a randomized controlled trial on supportive-expressive therapy for MDD.

RESULTS

The quantitative and narrative analyses suggest that an improvement in maladaptive interpersonal patterns toward the therapist, in the form of attachment avoidance, made it possible to form a strong alliance, which in turn led to a successful outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the importance of improving maladaptive interpersonal patterns as a prerequisite to enable patients after pregnancy losses to develop and maintain a corrective therapeutic experience.

A practical clinical suggestion for strengthening the alliance based on a supportive-expressive framework

Supportive-expressive psychodynamic psychotherapy builds on the core conflictual relationship theme (CCRT) as a framework for case formulation and interpretations. Much has been written on how interpretive techniques should be implemented in the treatment sessions to bring about therapeutic change, but less is known about implementing supportive techniques for strengthening the alliance using this framework. The present article uses CCRT formulations to articulate clear and concrete supportive techniques that clinicians can use in clinical practice. To this end, we offered 4 main steps and used clinical case examples to illustrate them. We described how the CCRT formulation may be used to rise above relational enactments in a supportive way and how it can provide a corrective emotional experience to enhance the emotional bond between the patient and the therapist. Clinical cases from the pilot phase of a randomized clinical trial, together with theoretical conceptualizations and empirical findings, are intertwined to demonstrate the potential of the techniques presented. (PsycINFO Database Record

Identifying the most suitable treatment for depression based on patients' attachment: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of supportive-expressive vs. supportive treatments

BACKGROUND

In the absence of one intervention that can cure all patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), the leading cause of disability worldwide, increased attention has been focused on selecting the best treatment based on patient characteristics. Theory-driven hypotheses for selecting the best treatments have not yet been adequately investigated. The present study tested the a priory hypothesis that attachment orientations may determine whether patients benefit more from a treatment where alliance provides a facilitative environment for the treatment to work, as in the case of supportive-expressive psychotherapy, vs. where alliance is conceptualized as an active ingredient in itself, as in the case of supportive psychotherapy.

METHOD/DESIGN

To test the hypothesis that attachment orientation moderates the effect of treatment condition on outcome, we conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT). One hundred patients are randomized to 16 sessions of either supportive-expressive or supportive psychotherapy for MDD, conducted by experienced psychologists. The primary outcome is change in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Secondary outcome measures include self-reported depressive and other symptoms, psychological and interpersonal functioning, quality of life, and the presence of the diagnosis of depression. Additional measures include hormonal levels, motion synchrony, and acoustic attributes, performance on cognitive tasks, and narrative material (collected from the sessions and from interviews).

DISCUSSION

The RCT will expand our understanding of how the outcome of treatment can be optimized by identifying the most promising role of alliance in treatment, based on patients' pre-treatment attachment orientation. Results will contribute to the ongoing theoretical debate concerning the differential efficacy of various psychotherapeutic approaches for patients with different attachment orientations. The RCT will also contribute to progress toward personalized treatment by informing therapists about which of two approaches are most effective with patients based on their attachment styles.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02728557 submitted on the 15.3.16.

FUNDING

The Israel Science Foundation. Trial status: Recruitment is ongoing.

Supportive-expressive interventions in working through treatment termination

Supportive-expressive (SE) psychodynamic treatment has been receiving much empirical support. It is based on conceptualizing and working through the patients' Core Conflictual Relationship Theme, which includes their main wish (W) in the context of an interpersonal relationship, an actual or anticipated subjective response from the other (RO) in relation to the W, and the subsequent emotional and behavioral response from the self (RS) to the RO. Studies suggest that the RO and RS components show the greatest change as a result of effective SE treatment. Clinical experience, however, suggests that in the last phase of treatment, when termination is anticipated, at least some patients regress to their original RS. This process is part of a separation conflict, which includes unconsciously renouncing their RS gains. In the present article we make recommendations regarding the timing and manner of initiating the termination discussion (the "clock-like reminder" and the "symbolic listening to termination cues"), integrating both supportive and expressive techniques. The article contains practice-based guidelines on how to work through the potential RS regression. We pay specific attention to what to do and not to do in the very last session and use examples from the pilot phase of a randomized controlled trial to demonstrate each recommended technique. Lastly, we suggest paths for future research to examine the proposed framework for working through termination. (PsycINFO Database Record

What is the right time for supportive versus expressive interventions in supervision? An illustration based on a clinical mistake

Although supportive-expressive (SE) psychotherapy is one of the most studied psychodynamic therapies today, little is known empirically about effective strategies in SE supervision, or in psychodynamic supervision in general (Diener & Mesrie, 2015; Watkins, 2011). One of the important questions in SE psychotherapy is how to decide when to use supportive and when to use expressive interventions. As a parallel process, this type of decision is relevant also to SE supervision. The present case study focuses on the decision-making process in an SE supervision session: when should supervisors use supportive as opposed to expressive strategies with their supervisees? Our aim is to develop decision rules that reliably support supervisors' decisions. We analyze a clinical error made by supervisors in this type of decision making, and show how mistakes of this type can either be avoided or, when they occur, how to turn them into opportunities for learning and for the formation of new understanding and growth. Similarly to the finding that therapists with better skills in managing their countertransference feelings were shown to have better outcomes with their patients (Gelso, Latts, Gomez, & Fassinger, 2002; Hayes, Gelso, & Hummel, 2011), we suggest that the management of the supervisors' feelings, and working through their mistakes with the therapists, can contribute to the supervisory relationship and to the development of the psychodynamic therapists' skills. (PsycINFO Database Record

Survival without surgical repair of acute rupture of the right ventricular free wall

Rupture of the myocardial free wall is an infrequent complication of acute myocardial infarction. Unless it occurs in a space confined by pericardial adhesions, only surgical emergency repair of ruptured myocardium can prevent death. In this paper we report the case of an 81-year-old woman who was admitted to the emergency room with cardiac tamponade, resulting from inferolateral acute myocardial infarction and a subsequent rupture of the right ventricular free wall, with the formation of pericardial thrombus and effusion. The patient refused to undergo any surgical or invasive intervention, and therefore she was only treated conservatively. Nevertheless, her condition improved dramatically, as her blood pressure increased and echocardiography abnormalities almost disappeared. Follow-up echocardiography 7 months post discharge was unremarkable. We believe that this rare case emphasizes that in special circumstances, such as creation of a thrombus that prevents more blood from extravasating, free-wall rupture without surgical repair is compatible with long-term survival.