Predicting therapy duration from therapist experience and client psychopathology

This study examined the relationships among therapist experience, the cost of therapy services, the degree of client psychopathology, and the number of therapy sessions clients attended following intake. The closed files of 407 clients at a university-based psychology outpatient clinic were examined. Results indicated that the duration of therapy was predicted from the experience of the graduate-student therapist, with higher levels of therapist experience predicting fewer therapy sessions. Although measures of client psychopathology did not directly predict therapy duration, therapist experience became only a marginally significant predictor when client psychopathology was allowed to act as a covariate. Fees paid for therapy did not predict therapy duration. These findings emphasize the importance of accounting for therapist and client characteristics when examining client attendance in therapy.