Premium
Content analysis of brief psychotherapy sessions
Author(s) -
Hawton Keith,
Reibstein Janet,
Fieldsend Robert,
Whalley Mary
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
british journal of medical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 0007-1129
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1982.tb01495.x
Subject(s) - psychotherapist , psychology , content (measure theory) , content analysis , reliability (semiconductor) , therapeutic relationship , clinical psychology , mathematical analysis , social science , power (physics) , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , sociology
In studying the process of psychotherapy, detailed and reliable methods of describing the components are required. Such a method for content analysis of brief psychotherapy sessions is described. It is comprehensive and has satisfactory inter‐rater reliability. It proved to have predictive validity in that it identified characteristics of the treatment approach, and most of the changes in therapeutic activity during the course of treatment, that had been predicted beforehand. In addition, similar patterns in the use of therapeutic strategies were found for therapists from different professional backgrounds trained in the same treatment approach. This method of analysis is recommended for future studies of content of psychotherapeutic treatments, including investigations of the relationship between content of treatment and outcome.