Developing Methods to Study Child Psychotherapy Using New Scales of Therapeutic Alliance and Progressiveness

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to adapt a methodology, which has previously been successfully employed in adult psychotherapy research, to study videotaped play therapy sessions with children. Therapist interventions in a child psychotherapy case were rated for Plan-compatibility, a case-specific measure of predicted helpfulness based on an independently generated case formulation. Independent judges rated patient material before and after each intervention with the Progressiveness Scale for Children, a generic measure of patient progress, and the Child Therapeutic Alliance Scale, an eight-item measure which assessed elements of the patient's working capacity. A significant association was found between the Plan-compatibility of therapist interventions and changes in patient behavior following the interventions on some items of the Child Therapeutic Alliance Scale and to a more modest extent, on the Progressiveness Scale for Children. This method shows some promise for use in assessing immediate changes in patient process in child psychotherapy.

Children's Experiences in the Therapeutic Relationship: Development and Validation of a Self‐Report Measure

“…Although no quality measure of Rogers's () conditions exists for children, some child measures do address the therapeutic alliance. For example, the Child Therapeutic Alliance Scale (Grienenberger & Foreman, 1993, as cited in Foreman, Gibbins, Grienenberger, & Berry, ) is an eight‐item observational scale. As such, it does not measure the child's subjective experience.…”

Control-Mastery Theory and Contemporary Social Work Practice

“…The results of the research studies in turn shaped subsequent clinical discoveries and theoretical elaboration'' (Silberschatz, 2005, p. 189). Research has been carried out demonstrating that the client's plan can be reliably formulated for a psychoanalysis (Caston, 1986), for brief (16 session) adult therapies (Curtis & Silberschatz, 1997), and for child therapy (Foreman, Gibbins, Grienenberger, & Berry, 2000). The concept of testing has also been studied empirically, the ability of raters to identify tests in an analytic transcript as well as the effects of passed and failed tests.…”

The plan formulation method for couples.

“…Numerous research studies (e.g., Curtis & Silberschatz, 2007;Curtis et al, 1994;Curtis, Silberschatz, Sampson, Weiss, & Rosenberg, 1988;Foreman et al, 2000;Horowitz et al, 1975;Silberschatz, 1986Silberschatz, , 2005Silberschatz, , 2017Silberschatz & Curtis, 1993;Silberschatz, Curtis, & Nathans, 1989) have shown that when the therapist's behavior, communications, and interpretations support the patient's plan (are proplan), the patient improves and the therapy progresses.…”