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Therapeutic Atmosphere in Psychotherapy Sessions
Marte L Siegel1, Eva M Gullestad Binder1, Hanne Sofie J Dahl1,2
1Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Forskningsveien 3A, 0373 Oslo, Norway.
Summary
Transference work (TW) in psychodynamic psychotherapy benefited women with low object relations but not men with high object relations. The therapeutic atmosphere did not differ significantly between subgroups, contrary to expectations.
Area of Science:
- Psychotherapy Research
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Identifying active ingredients in psychotherapy is crucial for treatment efficacy.
- The First Experimental Study of Transference interpretations (FEST) indicated differential effects of transference work (TW) based on patient characteristics.
- Previous findings suggested women with low quality of object relations (QOR) benefited from TW, while men with high QOR experienced negative effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the therapeutic atmosphere in relation to transference work (TW) effects.
- To expand upon the findings of the First Experimental Study of Transference interpretations (FEST) using the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) measure.
- To explore potential moderating roles of the therapeutic environment in differential treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) to characterize the therapeutic atmosphere.
- Employed two-way ANOVAs to compare SASB cluster scores across patient subgroups (women with low QOR, men with high QOR, with/without TW).
- Applied multilevel modeling to examine therapist variables and their relationship with outcomes for men and women.
Main Results:
- The therapeutic atmosphere was characterized by Protect-Trust, Affirm-Disclose, and Control-Submit dimensions.
- No significant differences in the therapeutic atmosphere were found between subgroups receiving transference work (TW) versus those who did not.
- These findings were observed in women with low quality of object relations (QOR) and men with high QOR.
Conclusions:
- The therapeutic atmosphere, as measured by SASB, did not explain the differential outcomes observed with transference work (TW).
- Contrary to hypotheses, the process measure SASB did not reveal variations in the therapeutic environment based on TW or patient subgroups.
- Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of transference work in psychodynamic psychotherapy.
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