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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
[Predictors for patients' starting psychotherapy]
M Fischer-Kern1, T Slunecko, K Leithner
1Universitätsklinik für Tiefenpsychologie und Psychotherapie, Medizinische Universität Wien, Osterreich. melitta.fischer-kern@meduniwien.ac.at
Background:
The aim of this study was to discover prognostic criteria for outpatients' making use of psychotherapy. Data from patients and therapists were collected.
Subjects And Methods:
After initial psychoanalytic interviews, 92 patients at a university psychotherapy outpatient department were asked to complete narrative forms and standardized questionnaires (FMP) regarding their motivation to seek psychotherapy. In addition, the therapists contributed a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and estimate of the initial therapeutic working alliance (iTAB) for each patient. In the follow-up, we investigated patients' actual use of psychotherapy.
Results:
Sociodemographic variables, personality variables, and diagnoses had only minor prognostic relevance, whereas therapists' assessments of patient resources for therapeutic relationship and work proved to be of high predictive value.
Conclusion:
Positive assessment of a patient's ability for therapeutic working alliance in the initial diagnostic interview is shown to be an important prognostic factor of a patient's entering psychotherapy.
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