Persuasiveness: An underappreciated characteristic of effective therapists.

Abstract

Psychotherapy has been conceptualized as a process of social influence (Frank & Frank, 1991; Wampold, 2018). Therapists play a crucial role in cocreating new adaptive meanings and expectations that mobilize clients toward an increased sense of agency and mastery. We argue that these tasks depend on the persuasive power of the psychotherapist. The goal of this article is to provide a brief overview on the literature and research on therapist’s persuasiveness and theoretical contributions for future directions. We define therapist’s persuasiveness as the major verbal and nonverbal therapist skills that facilitate positive treatment expectations and credibility. Accumulated research on the placebo effect, client’s expectancies, charisma, and therapist’s interpersonal skills gives new empirical depth to the construct of therapeutic persuasiveness. In light of these findings, we discuss implications and provide recommendations for therapist training and future research.

Psychotherapist’s persuasiveness in anxiety: Scale development and relation to the working alliance.

“…This is congruent with research that suggests that the psychotherapist’s validation and understanding of the client’s problems relate to the client’s emotional stimulation and processing (Asano, 2019; Malin & Pos, 2015). Contrary to Vaz and Sousa (2021) results that suggest the treatment rationale hinders the client’s emotional stimulation, the present study’s findings suggest that the treatment rationale is related to the psychotherapist’s expressiveness and client’s emotional stimulation, as item 5 is highly loaded to factor 1. The association between the treatment rationale and the psychotherapist’s verbal and nonverbal behaviors is further substantiated by a series of analogue studies that suggest that communicating the treatment rationale with certain verbal and nonverbal behaviors is more persuasive in enhancing the client’s expectations and engagement (Ahmed & Westra, 2009; Ametrano et al, 2017; Kazdin & Krouse, 1983).…”

“…These results support Frank’s (1986, 1987) theoretical supposition that the psychotherapist’s ability to stimulate emotions is integral to their persuasiveness and capacity to transform maladaptive meanings. A similar interaction was found in Vaz and Sousa (2021) study, which suggests that the psychotherapist’s interpersonal skills positively predict the client’s emotional stimulation and transformation of meanings. Recent research has proposed that the client’s emotional stimulation and experience during sessions is an important variable for psychotherapy outcomes (Pascual-Leone & Yeryomenko, 2017), through which the psychotherapist’s interpersonal skills might mediate part of their effects on outcomes (Vaz & Sousa, 2021).…”

“…The study’s design impedes drawing causal inferences about the relationship between the psychotherapist’s persuasiveness and the working alliance (Cooper, 2020). The sample is comprised mostly of psychotherapists with a cognitive–behavioral approach, which have been suggested to provide more rationales than other approaches (Vaz & Sousa, 2021). A more varied clinical sample might produce differing results.…”

Uma proposta de protocolo para intervenções breves em psicologia clínica

“…O impulso nas pesquisas em psicoterapia, ocorrido nos últimos 50 anos, se deu principalmente com a publicação do artigo do psicólogo inglês Hans Heyseck em 1952, o qual concluiu que não haviam dados empíricos que sustentavam a eficácia da psicoterapia naquele momento. Desde então, empenhou-se um grande esforço científico para verificar que essa modalidade tem eficácia, resultando na publicação de milhares de artigos ao longo das últimas décadas.Atualmente, compreende-se que a eficácia da psicoterapia está na ordem de 80% e as principais escolas psicoterapêuticas (psicodinâmica, cognitivista, comportamentais, sistêmica, experienciais, humanistas e existenciais) são eficazes para uma ampla gama de problemas humanos (Hoffman & Heyes, 2020;Sousa, 2017, Vaz & Sousa, 2021.…”

“…Já o segundo,traz a ideia de que existem fatores comuns a todos os modelos psicoterápicos, os quais seriam responsáveis pelo desfecho positivo da psicoterapia. Estes fatores seriam: construir um relacionamento real entre psicoterapeuta e paciente, desenvolver expectativas positivas sobre a psicoterapia através da explicitação de tarefas, e facilitar ingredientes psicológicos específicos que estão relacionados às técnicas psicológicas específicas utilizadas para o problema apresentado pelo paciente (Hoffman & Heyes, 2020;Sousa, 2017;Vaz & Sousa, 2021;Wampold & Imel, 2015).…”