ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: contemporary psychodynamic therapy research supports combining clinical judgment with empirical evidences. Recent studies suggest that systematically analyzing single cases may contribute to such efforts. Also, current criteria for evidence-based case studies recommend different perspectives on therapeutic process and outcome, such as therapist's and external judges' ratings. Finally, client's dropout conforms a challenge for psychotherapy research. AIMS & METHODS: as part of a SPR Small Research Grant, this study analyzed and compared the psychodynamic profile proposed both by therapist and two external judges, for the same case of early dropout from focused psychodynamic psychotherapy, consisting of two diagnostic interviews and five subsequent sessions, in a patient with an emotional disorder. Being blind to the rating process of the counterpart, Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-2) was used by therapist and judges to generate a psychodynamic profile including five therapeutic foci. External judges rating was achieved through consensus, following CQR's guidelines. RESULTS & DISCUSSION: similarities and differences among therapist's and judges' psychodynamic profiles were found. Result's contributions to the understanding of case's early dropout are discussed, along with OPD-2's usefulness for psychodynamic practice-oriented research.(AU)
Subject(s)
Refusal to Treat , Defense Mechanisms , Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Judgment , MethodsABSTRACT
Introducción: es necesario mayor estudio de la experiencia de abandono terapéutico temprano. Indagar sistemáticamente casos únicos puede conformar una respuesta orgánica a este desafío. Objetivos y métodos: se analizó y comparó la evolución de focos terapéuticos, planteados por el terapeuta tratante y por dos juezas externas, para un caso de abandono temprano de psicoterapia psicodinámica focalizada de un trastorno emocional. Ciegos a la codificación de la contraparte, terapeuta y juezas utilizaron el Diagnóstico Psicodinámico Operacionalizado-2 (OPD-2) para generar un perfil psicodinámico y establecer focos de tratamiento. Para cada foco, aplicaron la Escala de Presencia de Foco y la Escala de Cambio Estructural de Heidelberg. Resultados y discusión: se observaron puntos de convergencia y divergencia entre las perspectivas de terapeuta y juezas externas. Se discute la utilidad de dichos puntos para la comprensión del abandono temprano del paciente, así como las implicancias del OPD-2 como herramienta de investigación orientada a la práctica
Introduction: more study on the experience of therapeutic early dropout is needed. The systematic study of psychodynamic single cases can conform an organic response to this challenge. Aims & Methods: therapeutic foci's evolution, proposed by both treating therapist and two external judges, for the same early dropout case of a focused psychodynamic psychotherapy for an emotional disorder, were analyzed and compared. Blind to the counterpart's rating process, therapist and judges employed Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-2) in order to generate a psychodynamic profile and establish therapeutic foci. For each focus, they applied the Focus Presence Scale and the Heidelberg Structural Change Scale. Results & Discussion: specific convergences' and discrepancies' points between therapist's and judges' perspectives were observed. Such points' usefulness for the understanding of patient's early dropout, together with OPD-2' implications as a practice-oriented research tool, are discussed