Qualitative psychotherapy research: The journey so far and future directions.

Abstract

This article documents the evolution of qualitative psychotherapy research over the past 3 decades. Clients' and therapists' accounts of their experiences in psychotherapy provide a window into the psychotherapy relationship and its mechanisms of change. A sizable body of literature has been generated that uses qualitative methods to collect and analyze these accounts and to shed light on the psychotherapy process. It notes changes in the field such as growing numbers of dissertations and publications using qualitative methods as well as a strengthening emphasis on qualitative research within graduate education and research funding bodies. Future recommendations include developing principles for practice from qualitative methods and conducting qualitative meta-analyses. Other recommendations include forming journal review policies that support the publication of qualitative research and that focus on coherence in adapting methods to meet research goals, in light of a study's characteristics and epistemological framework, rather than focusing on sets of procedures.

Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report.

“…To provide a competent, complete review, a reviewer would have a depth of understanding of (a) the topic being studied, (b) the specific method in use (keeping in mind that multiple versions exist of many qualitative methods and these may be based in varying traditions of inquiry; see Levitt, 2014), and (c) the processes of appropriately adapting qualitative methods to specific projects. If a reviewer does not have experience using the specific method at hand or in adapting qualitative methods for use in research projects, it can be helpful for the reviewer to check with the editor on the appropriateness of the assignment.…”

“It’s both a strength and a drawback.” How therapists’ personal qualities are experienced in their professional work

“…A common critique of qualitative studies is their lack of generalizability due to small sample sizes. However, the strengths of qualitative methods are their ability to examine variation within a phenomenon (not within a population), generate descriptions of lived experiences, and investigate a phenomenon in all its complexity (Levitt, 2015). Several metaanalyses show that the average number of participants in qualitative studies is 13, which suggests that a sample size of 14, as used in the present study, should be sufficient to obtain robust findings (Levitt et al, 2017;Malterud, Siersma, & Guassora, 2016).…”

Therapists’ Experiences of Mother–infant Psychoanalytic Treatment: A Qualitative Study

“…Another way of investigating the development of the relationship between mother and child is the single case study of therapy cases (Baradon, Biseo, Broughton, James, & Joyce, ; Belt et al., ; Downing, Burgin, Reck, & Ziegenhain, ; Kächele, Schachter, & Thomä, ; Keren, ; Tuters, Doulis, & Yabsley, ; Willemsen, Della Rosa, & Kegerreis, ). Studies applying a qualitative analysis of interview transcripts have become more common (Levitt, ), and some studies used such methods to investigate changes due to therapy (Paris, Spielman, & Bolton, ). The present study also used qualitative analysis to better comprehend the therapists’ experiences of the MIP treatment.…”