Intersession experiences and internalized representations of psychotherapy: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Inter-session experiences, defined as internalized mental representations of therapy or therapists, significantly influence psychotherapeutic processes and outcomes.
• The rise of digital mental health treatments, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the growing importance of understanding these between-session phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review to delineate the current research landscape of inter-session experiences.
• To provide an overview of existing evidence and identify critical research gaps in this domain.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review was performed.
• Searches were conducted across major psychological and medical databases (PsycArticles, Medline, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX) for relevant publications.

Main Results:

• The review included 30 publications spanning from 1989 to 2021.
• Findings suggest inter-session experiences are vital for psychotherapy, but the existing research is highly heterogeneous and lacks comparability.
• A substantial knowledge gap was identified regarding the consistent measurement and understanding of these experiences.

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps in the research on inter-session experiences necessitate further investigation.
• Future studies should focus on standardized methodologies, considering factors like therapeutic setting, therapist characteristics, and patient variables.
• Development of improved assessment tools for inter-session processes is crucial for advancing the field.