ABSTRACT
This paper presents two studies (one single case and one comparative study) examining change processes within individual therapy sessions as well as during the course of treatment. The Therapeutic Cycle Model (TCM), developed for general psychotherapy to objectify change events in the course of psychotherapies, is applied to transcribed tape recordings of therapy sessions with sexual offenders. The TCM focuses on emotional experience and cognitive mastery and uses computer assisted text analysis. In addition to the TCM approach clinical ratings are used as independent criteria. The predicted relationship between the phases of the TCM and scores on the respective scales of the clinical ratings were supported.
Subject(s)
Behavior Therapy/methods , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Models, Psychological , Patient Compliance , Prisoners , Therapy, Computer-Assisted , Adult , Child , Child Abuse, Sexual/prevention & control , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/methods , Criminal Psychology , Emotions , Germany , Humans , Middle Aged , Needs Assessment/standards , Patient Compliance/psychology , Prisoners/psychology , Reproducibility of Results , Surveys and Questionnaires , Therapy, Computer-Assisted/methods , Treatment Outcome , Video RecordingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Psychotherapy of sex offenders is effective and reduces relapse rates when compared with untreated controls. As compared to the effectiveness of psychotherapy at large, however, effect sizes are much lower. OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence for change processes in a therapy with a sex offender. METHOD: This is an exploratory single case study in which the Therapeutic Cycles Model (TCM)--developed for general psychotherapy and based on emotional experience and cognitive mastery--is being applied. In addition to the computer assisted approach of the TCM clinical ratings are used as independent criteria. RESULTS: The predicted relationship between the phases of the TCM, the rating for Quality of Sessions and the Therapeutic Alliance was observed.
