Attributed Contribution of Therapist’s Emotional Variables to Psychotherapeutic Effectiveness: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this manuscript is to analyze the degrees of responsibility for healing that psychotherapists attribute to a set of emotional variables of the therapist involved in the therapeutic process. Such variables, framed within the well-known common factors in psychotherapy, have been proven to be essential in making the therapeutic process effective, as has been shown by research in psychotherapy in recent decades.Materials and MethodsBased on an extensive literature review, the responses from a sample of 69 psychotherapists to a tool created ad hoc are analyzed to verify whether their attributions are in line with the results of said review.ResultsThe therapists have doubts about the factors responsible for psychotherapeutic effectiveness, as well as about the value of common variables, including those of an emotional nature, not valuing them above those of a specific type. They also argue against the similar effectiveness of different psychotherapeutic models.ConclusionDiscrepancies have thus been found between the conclusions reached by research on therapeutic processes and the statements made by the therapists studied, which could indicate an insufficient impact of psychotherapeutic research on clinical practice. We also propose courses of action such as establishing training programs for the acquisition and development of emotional skills for therapists that could increase the effectiveness of their interventions.

Definition and Criteria for the Assessment of Expertise in Psychotherapy: Development of the Psychotherapy Expertise Questionnaire (PEQ)

“…The definition of measurement criteria and the development of assessment instruments hold substantial practical implications and favour knowledge advances in this field. Indeed, the results that may be provided by using the PEQ can be harmoniously integrated with previous research that explores various essential elements affecting psychotherapist effectiveness (e.g., the emotional variables of the therapist or the facilitators of patient engagement with therapy, to name a few [112,113]), favouring further advances toward a more comprehensive understanding of the therapeutic process. Moreover, being aware of the dimensions that underlie therapist expertise could help therapists monitor themselves and improve outcomes through thoughtful and deliberate practice, thus enhancing the sense of professional self-efficacy [114][115][116].…”

Editorial: Active components in psychotherapy: towards an integrative model of the mechanisms of therapeutic change

“…Key among these factors is the therapeutic alliance (Araya and Porter, 2017;Norcross and Wampold, 2019), characterized by trust, collaboration, and a positive working relationship between therapist and client, which creates a safe and supportive environment where clients feel heard, understood, and able to explore and change. Client factors -such as motivation, self-efficacy, and expectations -as well as therapist factors -empathy, positive regard, and cultural sensitivity -are important contributors to the therapeutic process (Romero-Moreno et al, 2021). Taken to the extreme, this view might imply that specific techniques or theories play a secondary role compared to these common factors (Wachtel et al, 2020).…”