Computerized Analysis of Therapy to Identify Common Factors in Psychotherapy Across Theoretical Interventions.

• In Event: Intervention and Programming

Abstract

What constitutes psychotherapy has been the topic of research over decades. Research indicates therapy is effective in promoting mental health and wellness for a variety of life issues and mental health conditions, to diverse groups of people. Much of how therapy is conducted has been examined through various theoretical perspectives. Limited research exists detailing the tangible contents of therapy. Most doctoral training programs offer courses and practical skills development in various theoretical paradigms. Doctoral course work and internship training sites often aim programs towards a particular track, often related to a theoretical orientation. More recent research into the contents or ingredients of therapy have suggested there are common factors or elements underlying all theoretical models. The aim of this study was to examine the similarities and differences between four interventions of therapy: Cognitive-behavioral, Integrative, Person-centered and Psychodynamic. Technological increases over time permit the computerized analysis of the contents of narrative transcripts from therapy sessions. Psychcoder is an internet-based computerized-coding program developed to code over 25,000 words into quantifiable values. Specifically, it codes emotions, cognitions, contracts (agreements), and actions (performance) as uttered in verbal interactions. Moreover, the program can code the valence from positive values to negative values. Analyses were conducted to examine the contents of client utterances. Additionally, cross-lagged correlations were conducted to assess the interactional contents between the therapist and client. This research is valuable in identifying and quantifying the variables that are common to all forms of therapy in addition to those that vary between theoretical interventions. The outcomes of this study are imperative to those in teaching, training and supervisory roles, as well as to students engaged in clinical work. Results illuminate elements of therapy that are common to all modalities, and those unique to each perspective.

Authors

• Trisha Marie Kivisalu, Alliant International University, CSPP

• Mark Barnes, Alliant International University

• Merle L. Canfield, Alliant International University