Evaluating the phase model of change during short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy

This study examined the phase model of psychotherapy change (Howard, Lueger, Maling, & Martinovich, 1993; Howard, Moras, Brill, Martinovich, & Lutz, 1996) and assessed the domains of subjective well-being, symptomatic distress, and social/interpersonal functioning during short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. Specifically, we assessed evaluation/third-session to ninth-session changes in a group of 20 treated patients. These three domains were examined for both statistical and clinically significant change (Jacobson & Truax, 1991). Treatment fidelity and credibility were also evaluated. Statistical and clinically significant improvement in the domains of subjective well-being and symptom distress were evident by the ninth session of short-term dynamic psychotherapy. Statistical and reliable improvement were observed in relational functioning during the same time period. In addition, changes in both subjective well-being and symptomatic distress contributed unique and separate variance to predicting changes in social/interpersonal functioning. The results with respect to the differential effects predicted by the phase model of change during the early course of treatment are discussed.