How Clinical Utility Emerges: Experiences of Psychotherapists Using the Structured Interview of Personality...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Traditional psychometric evaluations assess assessment tool quality.
• Clinical usefulness and integration into practice are vital but less understood.
• The Structured Interview of Personality Organization - Revised (STIPO-R) is a key diagnostic tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how psychodynamic psychotherapists integrate the STIPO-R into practice during early learning stages.
• To examine the process of adapting and utilizing the STIPO-R from a constructivist-interpretivist viewpoint.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews with seven psychotherapists using the STIPO-R.
• Data analysis using reflexive thematic analysis, including team discussions and coding.
• Employing reflexive strategies to ensure trustworthiness of findings.

Main Results:

• Psychotherapists personalize and modify the STIPO-R in practice.
• They identify the tool's practical limitations and capabilities.
• Therapists navigate relational dynamics and shape patient understanding via STIPO-R responses.
• Integration with object relations theory and challenges during diagnosis were noted.

Conclusions:

• Clinical utility of the STIPO-R is co-constructed through therapist experience and adaptation.
• Findings offer insights into the practical shaping process valuable for training.
• Implications for examining similar processes with other clinical tools are discussed.