Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-qxdb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T12:15:53.162Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessment of Patients for Psychotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Sidney Bloch
Sidney Bloch*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, The Warneford Hospital, Headington, Oxford
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Factors in the patient which have been commonly cited by therapists as relevant in assessment for psychotherapy are examined as well as the research done on them. These factors are discussed under four categories: (a) factors related to the illness, (b) personal factors related to the treatment, (c) personal factors not directly associated with the illness and (d) current life circumstances. Research on methods of assessing patient suitability is discussed together with an account of the reasons for the rather disappointing contribution of systematic research.

Type
Review Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 135 , Issue 3 , September 1979 , pp. 193 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1979 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arieti, S. & Bemporad, J. (1978) Severe and Mild Depression. The Psychotherapeutic Approach. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Aronson, H. & Weintraub, W. (1968) Patient changes during classical psychoanalysis as a function of initial status and duration of treatment. Psychiatry, 31, 369–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aronson, H. & Weintraub, W. (1969) Certain initial variables as predictors of change with classical psychoanalysis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 74, 490–7.Google Scholar
Auerbach, A. H., Luborsky, L. & Johnson, M. (1972) Clinicians' predictions of outcome of psychotherapy: a trial of a prognostic index. American Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 830–5.Google Scholar
Barron, F. (1953) An ego-strength scale which predicts response to psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 17, 327–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barron, F. (1953a) Some test correlates of response to psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 17, 253–41.Google Scholar
Bloch, S. (1979) Supportive psychotherapy. In An Introduction to the Psychotherapies (ed. Bloch, S.). London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bloch, S., Bond, G., Qualls, B., Yalom, I. & Zimmerman, E. (1976) Patients' expectations of therapeutic improvement and their outcomes. American Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 1457–60.Google ScholarPubMed
Brady, J. P., Reznikoff, M. & Zeller, W. W. (1960) The relationship of expectation of improvement to actual improvement of hospitalized psychiatric patients. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 130, 41–4.Google Scholar
Brandon, S. (1970) Crisis theory and possibilities of therapeutic intervention. British Journal of Psychiatry, 117, 627–33.Google Scholar
Caine, T. M. & Wijesinghe, B. (1976) Personality, expectancies and group psychotherapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 129, 384–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cartwright, R. D. & Lerner, B. (1963) Empathy, need to change, and improvement with psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 27, 138–44.Google Scholar
Crown, S. (1979) Individual long-term psychotherapy. In An Introduction to the Psychotherapies (ed. Bloch, S.). London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dewald, P. A. (1969) Psychotherapy: A Dynamic Approach. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific.Google Scholar
Ewing, C. P. (1978) Crisis Intervention as Psychotherapy. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Fenichel, O. (1945) The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis. New York: Norton.Google Scholar
Fiske, D. W., Cartwright, D. S. & Kirtner, W. L. (1964) Are psychotherapeutic changes predictable? Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 69, 418–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frank, G. H. (1967) A review of research with measures of ego-strength derived from the MMPI and the Rorschach. Journal of General Psychology, 77, 183–206.Google Scholar
Frank, J. D. (1959) The dynamics of the psychotherapeutic relationship: determinants and effects of the therapist's influence. Psychiatry, 22, 17–39.Google Scholar
Frank, J. D., Gliedman, L. H., Imber, S. D., Nash, E. H. & Stone, A. R. (1957) Why patients leave psychotherapy. Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, 77, 283–99.Google Scholar
Frank, J. D. (1974) Therapeutic components of psychotherapy. A 25-year progress report of research. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 159, 325–42.Google Scholar
Freud, S. (1904, 1953) Freud's psychoanalytic procedure. Standard Edition 7. London: Hogarth.Google Scholar
Freud, S. (1913, 1953) On beginning the treatment. Standard Edition 12. London: Hogarth.Google Scholar
Fulkerson, S. C. & Barry, J. R. (1961) Methodology and research on the prognostic use of psychological tests. Psychological Bulletin, 58, 177–204.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gallagher, E. B., Sharaf, M. R. & Levinson, D. J. (1965) The influence of patient and therapist in determining the use of psychotherapy in a hospital setting. Psychiatry, 28, 297–310.Google Scholar
Garfield, S. L. & Wolpin, M. (1963) Expectations regarding psychotherapy. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 137, 353–62.Google Scholar
Garfield, S. L. (1971) Research on client variables in psychotherapy. In Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change: An Empirical Analysis (ed. Bergin, A. E. and Garfield, S. L.). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Garfield, S. L. (1978) Research on client variables in psychotherapy. In Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change: An Empirical Analysis (ed. Garfield, S. L. and Bergin, A. E.). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Getter, H. & Sundland, D. M. (1962) The Barron ego-strength scale and psychotherapy outcome. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 26, 195.Google Scholar
Hamburg, D. A., Bibring, G. L., Fisher, C., Stanton, A. H., Wallerstein, R. S., Weinstock, H. I. & Haggard, E. (1967) Report of ad hoc committee on central fact gathering data of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 15, 841–61.Google Scholar
Heine, R. W. (1962) (ed.) The Student Physician as Psychotherapist. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Heine, R. W. & Trosman, H. (1960) Initial expectations of the doctor-patient interaction as a factor in continuance in psychotherapy. Psychiatry, 23, 275–8.Google Scholar
Hoehn-Saric, R., Frank, J. D., Stone, A. R. & Imber, S. D. (1969) Prognosis in psychotherapeutic patients. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 23, 252–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoehn-Saric, R., Frank, J. D., Imber, S. D., Nash, E. H., Stone, A. R. & Battle, C. C. (1964) Systematic preparation of patients for psychotherapy—I. Effects on therapy behaviour and outcome. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2, 267–81.Google Scholar
Hollender, M. H. (1964) Selection of patients for definitive forms of psychotherapy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 10, 361–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hortocolus, P. (1977) Borderline Personality Disorders. New York: International Universities Press.Google Scholar
Huxster, H., Lower, R. & Escoll, P. (1975) Some pitfalls in the assessment of analysability in a psychoanalytic clinic. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 23, 90–106.Google Scholar
Jones, E. (1920) Treatment of the Neuroses. London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cox.Google Scholar
Kantrowitz, J. L., Singer, J. G. & Knapp, P. H. (1975) Methodology for a prospective study of suitability for psychoanalysis: the role of psychological tests. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 44, 371–91.Google Scholar
Kellner, R. (1975) Psychotherapy in psychosomatic disorders. A survey of controlled studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 32, 1021–8.Google Scholar
Klopfer, B., Kirkner, F. J., Wisham, W. & Baker, G. (1951) Rorschach prognostic rating scale. Journal of Projective Techniques, 15, 425–8.Google Scholar
Luborsky, L., Chandler, M., Auerbach, A. H., Cohen, J. & Bachrach, H. M. (1971) Factors influencing the outcome of psychotherapy: a review of quantitative research. Psychological Bulletin, 75, 145–85.Google Scholar
Luborsky, L. & Spence, D. P. (1978) Quantitative research on psychoanalytic therapy. In Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change. An Empirical Analysis (eds. Garfield, S. L. and Bergin, A. E.). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Luborsky, L., Mintz, J. & Christoph, P. Are psychotherapeutic changes predictable? A comparison of a Chicago counselling centre study with a Penn psychotherapy project. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, in press.Google Scholar
Malan, D. H. (1973) The outcome problem in psychotherapy research. A historical review. Archives of General Psychiatry, 29, 719–29.Google Scholar
Malan, D. H. (1976) The Frontier of Brief Psychotherapy: An Example of the Convergence of Research and Clinical Practice. New York: Plenum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masterson, J. F. (1976) Psychotherapy of the Borderline Adult. New York: Brunner/Mazel.Google Scholar
Meltzoff, J. & Kornreich, M. (1970) Research in Psychotherapy. New York: Atherton.Google Scholar
Nash, E. H., Frank, J. D., Gliedman, L. H., Imber, S. D. & Stone, A. R. (1957) Some factors related to patients remaining in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 7, 264–74.Google Scholar
Rosen, J. M. (1964) Direct psychoanalysis. In Current Psychiatric Therapies Volume 4 (ed. Masserman, J.). New York: Grune and Stratton.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, D. & Frank, J. D. (1958) The fate of psychiatric clinic out-patients assigned to psychotherapy. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 127, 330–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Searles, H. F. (1965) Collected Papers on Schizophrenia and Related Subjects. New York: International Universities Press.Google Scholar
Siegel, N. & Fink, M. (1962) Motivation for psychotherapy. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 3, 170–3.Google Scholar
Siegel, S. M., Rootes, M. & Traub, A. (1977) Symptom change and prognosis in clinic psychotherapy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 34, 321–9.Google Scholar
Sifneos, P. E. (1969) Short-term, anxiety provoking psychotherapy: an emotional problem-solving technique. Seminars in Psychiatry, 1, 389–98.Google Scholar
Sloane, R. B., Cristol, A. H., Pepernik, M. C. & Staples, F. R. (1970) Role preparation and expectation of improvement in psychotherapy. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 150, 18–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stone, A. R., Frank, J. D., Nash, E. H. & Imber, S. D. (1961) An intensive five-year follow-up study of treated psychiatric out-patients. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 133, 410–22.Google Scholar
Strupp, H. H., Wallach, M. S., Jenkins, J. W. & Wogan, M. (1963) Psychotherapists' assessments of former patients. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 137, 222–30.Google Scholar
Strupp, H. H. & Bergin, A. E. (1969) Some empirical and conceptual bases for co-ordinated research in psych-therapy: a critical review of issues, trends and evidence. International Journal of Psychiatry, 7, 18–90.Google Scholar
Truax, C. B. & Carkhuff, R. R. (1967) Towards Effective Counselling and Psychotherapy. Chicago: Aldine.Google Scholar
Tyson, R. L. & Sandler, J. (1971) Problems in the selection of patients for psychoanalysis: comments on the application of the concepts of ‘indications, suitability and analyzability’. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 44, 211–28.Google Scholar
Wilkins, W. (1973) Expectancy of therapeutic gain: an empirical and conceptual critique. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 40, 69–77.Google Scholar
Wilkins, W. (1973a) Clients' expectancy of therapeutic gain: evidence for the active role of the therapist. Psychiatry, 36, 184–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolberg, L. R. (1977) The Technique of Psychotherapy. New York: Grune and Stratton.Google Scholar
Yalom, I. D., Hours, P. S., Newell, G. & Rand, K. H. (1967) Preparation of patients for group therapy. A controlled study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 17, 416–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yalom, I. D. (1975) The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. New York: Basic.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.