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Related Experiment Videos

Resolving unfinished business: relating process to outcome.

Leslie S Greenberg1, Wanda Malcolm

  • 1Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
|April 16, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Resolving unfinished business with significant others in therapy leads to better outcomes. Expressing unmet needs and changing views predict success more than the therapeutic alliance.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychotherapy Research
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Unfinished business with significant others is a common issue in therapy.
  • Childhood maltreatment and interpersonal problems often complicate therapeutic progress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between resolving unfinished business and therapeutic outcomes.
  • To identify specific processes within therapy that predict successful treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Emotion-focused, experiential therapy utilizing gestalt empty-chair dialogues.
  • Analysis of 26 clients with interpersonal problems and/or childhood maltreatment.

Main Results:

  • Clients expressing unmet needs and shifting their view of the significant other showed significantly better outcomes.

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  • The resolution process in empty-chair dialogues was a stronger predictor of outcome than the working alliance.
  • Emotional arousal levels differentiated between clients who resolved issues and those who did not.

    • Conclusions:

    • The process of resolving unfinished business is a key determinant of successful therapy outcomes.
    • Empty-chair dialogues are an effective method for addressing interpersonal issues and achieving therapeutic resolution.
    • Understanding emotional arousal can inform therapeutic interventions for unresolved interpersonal conflicts.