Implementation of an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in Naturalistic Psychotherapy Settings: Qualitative Insights from Patients, Therapists, and Supervisors Perspectives.

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) allows measuring intra-individual processes moment by moment, identifying and modeling, in a naturalistic way, individual levels and changes in different psychological processes. However, active EMA requires a high degree of adherence, as it implies a significant burden for patients. Moreover, there is still no consensus on standardized procedures for implementation. There have been few results in detecting desirable characteristics for the design and implementation of an EMA device. Studies that address these issues from the perspectives of participants in psychotherapeutic processes are needed. To analyze the perspectives of patients, therapists and supervisors on the implementation of an EMA device in a psychotherapeutic treatment for depression. The sample will include eight patients, eleven therapists and five supervisors, taken from a research project that implemented an EMA system for monitoring the dynamics of affectivity at the beginning of psychotherapies for depression. Semi-structured interviews specific to each group are being conducted and analyzed from a qualitative approach based on consensual qualitative research (CQR). Participants reported having a positive evaluation of the study's informational resources and implementation. Difficulties were expressed in responding in the morning hours and the importance of having a customized EMA that is tailored to the needs of the patients was expressed. Furthermore, patients and therapists agreed that the impact of the use of the monitoring system on treatment was neutral or positive. In contrast, patients considered the EMA to be positive for their daily life.

Therapist's effect on children's therapeutic alliance: A naturalistic study.

OBJECTIVES: The therapeutic alliance (TA) has been shown to be a predictor of psychotherapy treatment success. In the case of psychotherapy with children, there is a dearth of information on TA's role. The aims of the paper are: (1) To estimate the therapist effects on children TA; (2) to investigate if therapists' TA predicts children's TA; (3) to analyze if children's age and sex predict children's TA; (4) to evaluate if the therapist's characteristics predict children's TA. METHODS: The sample consisted of 77 children undergoing psychotherapy in Argentina, and the therapists (N = 29) providing services to those children. The assessment tools utilized for the study included the Therapy Alliance Scale for Children and the Personal Style of the Therapist Questionnaire (PST-Q). RESULTS: Findings indicated that 2% of the children's TA was explained by the therapists (ICC = 0.02), while 17% of the therapists' TA was explained by the therapists (ICC = 0.17). Therapists' TA predicted children's TA. Children's age and sex did not have an effect on their own TA. Moreover, therapists with more experience achieved higher scores of children's TA. Finally, the Operative dimension of the PST had a negative effect on children's TA (i.e., therapists who prefer more spontaneous interventions over structured ones may experience higher levels of therapeutic alliance with child patients). CONCLUSION: We found a positive effect of the therapist's TA on children's TA, especially in the preference for using more spontaneous intervention techniques. We discuss the implications of the findings on the training of psychotherapists who provide services to children.

Using machine learning algorithms to predict the effects of change processes in psychotherapy: Toward process-level treatment personalization.

This study aimed to develop and test algorithms to determine the individual relevance of two psychotherapeutic change processes (i.e., mastery and clarification) for outcome prediction. We measured process and outcome variables in a naturalistic outpatient sample treated with an integrative treatment for a variety of diagnoses (n = 608) during the first 10 sessions. We estimated individual within-patient effects of each therapist-evaluated process of change on patient-evaluated subsequent outcomes on a session-by-session basis. Using patients' baseline characteristics, we trained machine learning algorithms on a randomly selected subsample (n = 407) to predict the effects of patients' process variables on outcome. We subsequently tested the predictive capacity of the best algorithm for each process on a holdout subsample (n = 201). We found significant within-patient effects of therapist perceived mastery and clarification on subsequent outcome. In the holdout subsample, the best-performing algorithms resulted in significant but small-to-medium correlations between the predicted and observed relevance of therapist perceived mastery (r = .18) and clarification (r = .16). Using the algorithms to create criteria for individual recommendations, in the holdout sample, we identified patients for whom mastery (14%) or clarification (18%) were indicated. In the mastery-indicated group, a greater focus on mastery was moderately associated with better outcome (r = .33, d = .70), while in the clarification-indicated group, the focus was not related to outcome (r = -.05, d = .10). Results support the feasibility of performing individual predictions regarding mastery process relevance that can be useful for therapist feedback and treatment recommendations. However, results will need to be replicated with prospective experimental designs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Alliance negotiation as a predictor of early treatment outcome.

AIM: The therapeutic alliance is a robust predictor of treatment outcome. However, little is known about the way alliance negotiation contributes to psychotherapy outcome. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of alliance negotiation on treatment outcome in the first four sessions of psychotherapy. METHODS: Ninety-six patients diagnosed with emotional disorders received weekly Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. Each patient completed both the Alliance Negotiation Scale (ANS) and the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ.45) after each of the first four sessions. Both between- and within-patients effects of alliance negotiation on symptom severity were analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Models. RESULTS: Results showed significant between and within patient effects of alliance negotiation on symptom severity. Patients with higher levels of alliance negotiation across treatment showed lower levels of symptom severity (between-patient effect). Also, in a session with higher alliance negotiation compared to the average session of this patient, symptom severity was lower than in the average session (within-patient effect). DISCUSSION: The results indicate that therapies characterized by higher alliance negotiation and sessions with higher alliance negotiation are beneficial for early outcome. CONCLUSION: From a clinical point of view, the results suggest that alliance negotiation is a meaningful factor for therapy outcome and that therapists may benefit from training and monitoring alliance negotiation during the early stages of treatment.

Implementation of a routine outcome monitoring and feedback system for psychotherapy in Argentina: A pilot study.

Introduction: Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) has emerged as a strong candidate to improve psychotherapy processes and outcome. However, its use and implementation are greatly understudied in Latin-America. Therefore, the aim of the present pilot study conducted in Argentina was to implement a ROM and feedback system grounded on a psychometrically sound instrument to measure session by session outcome in psychotherapy. Methods: The sample consisted of 40 patients and 13 therapists. At baseline, the patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and they also completed the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-11 before each of the first five sessions. To estimate patient change during the first sessions, we conducted a quantitative analysis using Hierarchical Linear Models. Furthermore, we conducted a qualitative analysis using Consensual Qualitative Research to analyze therapist perception regarding the ROM and feedback system. Results: Results showed a significant reduction in patients' symptomatic severity during the first five sessions. Additionally, baseline depression significantly predicted the estimated severity at the end of the fifth session. Feedback was given to the therapists after the first four sessions based on these analyses. With regard to the perception of the feedback system, clinicians underlined its usefulness and user-friendly nature. They also mentioned that there was a match between the information provided and their clinical judgment. Furthermore, they provided suggestions to enhance the system that was incorporated in a new and improved version. Discussion: Limitations and clinical implications are discussed.

Negative mood regulation as a mechanism of change in cognitive therapy for depression.

The present study investigates the effects of negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE) on symptom severity of depression in 2 cognitive therapies for depression. The sample included the first 146 consecutively recruited patients from a randomized controlled trial. Patients received 22 sessions of either cognitive-behavioral therapy or exposure-based cognitive therapy. They completed the Beck Depression Inventory and Negative Mood Regulation Scale at baseline and treatment termination, as well as after Sessions 7 and 14. Multilevel modeling was applied. We found a significant between-patient effect of NMRE on symptom severity of depression, when NMRE within-patient effects were set to random. There was no significant interactive effect of the between-patient NMRE with type of treatment. However, a significant moderation effect of the within-patient NMRE effect by treatment condition on depression severity was detected, with patients receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy benefiting more from improvements in NMRE. Together, these results empirically support NMRE as a relevant mechanism of change in cognitive therapy for depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of patient-therapist interpersonal complementarity on alliance and outcome in cognitive-behavioral therapies for depression: Moving toward interpersonal responsiveness.

This study analyzed patient-therapist in-session interpersonal complementarity effects on the therapeutic alliance and depression severity during the initial and working phase of cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression. It also explored whether patients' interpersonal problems moderate those complementarity effects. We drew on a sample of 90 dyads derived from a randomized controlled trial of two cognitive-behavioral therapies for depression. Using an observer-based measure, we assessed patients' and therapists' interpersonal behavior in Sessions 1, 5, 9, and 13 and computed their complementarity regarding interpersonal affiliation (i.e., correspondence) and dominance (i.e., reciprocity). Patients completed measures of interpersonal problems at baseline and session-by-session measures of depression severity and quality of the therapeutic alliance. Response surface analyses based on polynomial regressions showed that patient-therapist complementarity in higher affiliative behaviors was associated with a stronger alliance. Interpersonal problems regarding agency moderated the complementarity effects of the dominance dimensions on depression severity. Overly dominant patients benefited more from a nonreciprocal relationship in the dominance dimension, whereas submissive patients benefited more from complementarity in that dimension. Furthermore, interpersonal problems of communion significantly moderated the effects of complementarity in affiliative behaviors on both the alliance and outcome. These results suggest the relevance of both interpersonal correspondence and reciprocity for the psychotherapy process, informing clinical practice in terms of interpersonal responsiveness. The moderation effects of interpersonal problems provide preliminary evidence, which should be replicated in future research, to determine relevant markers indicating for whom a complementary approach would be beneficial in cognitive therapy for depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Who seeks Internet-based interventions for depression in Brazil? / Quem procura intervenções baseadas na Internet para a depressão no Brasil?

Specific psychological treatments for depressive disorders delivered on the Internet have shown effectiveness and presented advantages over face-to-face treatments (potentially less expensive, flexible schedules, available in remote areas). This paper aims to describe the characteristics of those who sought help from an online self-guided intervention for depression and to explore hypotheses about predictors of enrollment to the program. Based on a sample of 282 of individuals who filled in screening questionnaires, we verified that the respondents were mainly female, were on average 34.36 years old, were primarily recruited through Facebook, had been previously diagnosed by mental health professionals, presented moderate self-efficacy perception, and had moderately severe symptoms of depression. Respondents who reported comorbid conditions were more likely to attend enrollment interviews, and being in treatment or not did not influence attendance. Such characterization may provide strategies to reach more people and to optimize the design of interventions targeting help-seeking depressed individuals in Brazil.

Alguns tratamentos para a depressão baseados na Internet se mostraram efetivos e apresentaram vantagens em relação a tratamentos presenciais (potencialmente menos caros, com horários mais flexíveis e com disponibilidade em áreas remotas). Este artigo descreve as características de indivíduos que procuraram ajuda de uma intervenção autoguiada on-line e explora hipóteses sobre preditores de adesão ao programa. Baseado em uma amostra de 282 indivíduos que preencheram questionários de triagem, verificou-se que os participantes eram majoritariamente mulheres, tinham em média 34,36 anos, foram recrutados em sua maioria pelo Facebook, apresentaram diagnóstico psiquiátrico prévio feito por algum profissional de saúde mental, apresentaram percepção de autoeficácia moderada e sintomas depressivos moderadamente severos. Os respondentes que relataram condições comórbidas apresentaram mais chances de avançar para as entrevistas diagnósticas, e estar ou não em tratamento não influenciou a chegada às entrevistas. Estas descrições podem auxiliar na identificação de estratégias para se atingir mais indivíduos e para otimizar o desenho das intervenções on-line para brasileiros que as buscam.

Cambio y Psicoterapia: La perspectiva del niño / Change and Psychotherapy: The Child's Perspective

Resumen La investigación a partir de la perspectiva del paciente ha brindado información importante acerca de cómo la terapia es percibida, ayudando a los terapeutas a entender algunas reacciones desde los pacientes. Debido a las pocas investigaciones de este tipo en la población infantil, la terapia con niños no ha sido beneficiada por este movimiento. El presente trabajo es de carácter empírico con un enfoque de análisis cualitativo. En este estudio se exploraron las percepciones de los niños sobre distintos elementos del proceso psicoterapéutico. Para esto, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a 10 niños entre 6 y 12 años que se encontraban realizando tratamiento psicoterapéutico, o lo habían realizado en el último año. Durante las entrevistas se indagó sobre la "relación terapéutica", las "intervenciones del terapeuta", la "valoración de la terapia", las "nociones sobre la terapia", las "características de la terapia" y el "cambio percibido". Se analizaron las entrevistas bajo una metodología cualitativa consensual (CQR). Los resultados indican que los niños percibieron cambios vinculados a su propia conducta, emociones y relaciones interpersonales y pudieron relacionarlos con sus terapeutas y la alianza establecida con ellos.

Abstract Research from the patients' perspective has provided valuable information about how the psychotherapy process is perceived, helping therapists to understand some of the patient's reactions. Due to the limited research of this type in the children population, therapy with children has not benefited from this movement. The present study is an empirical work framed in a qualitative analysis approach, in which we inquired about children's perceptions about different elements related to the psychotherapeutic process. For this purpose, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 children between 6 and 12 years old, who were undergoing a psychotherapeutic treatment or had done it in the last year. During the interviews, we inquired about elements such as "therapeutic relationship," "therapist interventions," "therapy assessments," "notions about therapy," "therapy characteristics," and "perceived change." The interviews were analyzed using a consensual qualitative methodology (CQR). The results indicate that children were able to perceive changes concerning their behavior, emotions, and interpersonal relationships and could link these changes with their therapists and the therapeutic alliance established with them.

Psychotherapy for personal growth? A multicultural and multitheoretical exploration.

OBJECTIVE: This paper reports on a focus-group discussion of four expert psychotherapy researchers facilitated at an international conference from the Society of Psychotherapy Research. A discussion was facilitated to explore their perspectives on psychotherapy practices of personal growth (intentionally working towards a strengthened sense of autonomy, mastery, and self-acceptance) in different countries (United States, Canada, Argentina, and Chile) and different modalities (psychoanalysis, humanistic therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy). METHODS: Following the conference, the audio recording of this discussion was transcribed and analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods. RESULTS: Six domains were identified; definition of personal growth, mental health care systems, psychotherapy practice, psychotherapy research, client and therapist characteristics, and social stigma. RESULTS: Six domains were identified; definition of personal growth, mental health care systems, psychotherapy practice, psychotherapy research, client and therapist characteristics, and social stigma. CONCLUSION: Future research examining the cost-effectiveness and benefits of psychotherapy for personal growth is warranted. Building on the six domains, specific future research projects on the evidence-based practice of psychotherapy for personal growth are suggested.

Focos Terapéuticos en un Caso de Abandono Temprano: Perspectivas del Terapeuta y de Jueces Externos / Therapeutic Foci in an Early Dropout Case: Therapist's and External Judges' Perspectives

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

Perspectiva del terapeuta acerca de la negociación de la alianza: Un instrumento para su evaluación / Therapist's perspective about alliance negotiation: an instrument's evaluation

Resumen La negociación de alianza es la capacidad que tienen paciente y terapeuta para resolver problemas vinculares y desacuerdos en terapia. Si bien este concepto es una noción diádica, con implicancias importantes para el tratamiento, actualmente solo existe un instrumento, desde la perspectiva del paciente, que permite su medición. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar el desarrollo y el estudio de las propiedades psicométricas preliminares de la Escala de Negociación de la Alianza, versión terapeuta (ANS-T). A estos fines, se convocó una muestra de 188 terapeutas de distintas aproximaciones teóricas que completaron un conjunto inicial de ítems tentativos del ANS-T junto con el Inventario de Alianza de Trabajo (WAI, por su sigla en inglés), otra escala para medición de la alianza. Para el análisis de datos se realizó un análisis de componentes principales, se estudiaron medidas de confiabilidad como el alfa de Cronbach y correlaciones ítem-total corregidas, así como también evidencias de validez de criterio a partir de las correlaciones entre el ANS-T y la WAI. Los resultados del análisis de componentes principales sugirieron una solución unidimensional integrada por nueve ítems. Los análisis conducidos sobre la versión final de la ANS-T mostraron una adecuada consistencia interna (a = .82) y homogeneidad de sus ítems (r ítem-total corregidas: entre .34 y .66) junto con evidencias de validez de criterio (r con WAI: .51, p < .001). Las cualidades del instrumento y sus propiedades psicométricas sugieren que la ANS-T es un recurso valioso tanto para la clínica como para la investigación.

Abstract Alliance negotiation is defined as the patient and therapist's ability to solve relational problems and disagreements (in therapeutic goals and tasks) during therapy. Although this construct is essentially a dyadic notion, with important clinical implication for treatments of different theoretical frameworks, currently there is only one instrument that can measure alliance negotiation and it is only based on the patients' perspective about therapy. The aim of this paper is to develop and examine the preliminary psychometric properties of the Alliance Negotiation Scale, therapist form. In the context of the importance attributed to analyzing relational constructs with a dyadic perspective, this instrument will not only allow to measure the perception of alliance negotiation from therapist's point of view, but also it will provide the necessary information to have a dyadic measurement of alliance negotiation by using both the original Alliance Negotiation Scale and the Alliance Negotiation Scale, therapist form in the same cases. With this purpose, a sample of 188 therapists from different theoretical frameworks completed an initial pool of twenty four preliminary items of the Alliance Negotiation Scale, therapist form. All the items of Alliance Negotiation Scale, therapist form, were developed based on the original Alliance Negotiation Scale, adapted to be completed by the therapist, and scored in a seven point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Never) to 7 (Always). The sample of therapist also completed the Working Alliance Inventory, therapist from, a widely spread standard measure of therapeutic alliance. For both instruments we asked the therapist to answer the measures thinking about a patient they have recently treated. To avoid a bias in patients' selection and ceiling effects in alliance scores, half of the sample of therapists was randomized to use as a reference a patient they considered easy, while the other half was asked to select a difficult patient. For data analyzes we first ran a principal component analysis in order to find the best factorial solution for the items and to establish the construct validity of the scale. Based on that factorial solution we analyzed the internal consistency of the final version of the Alliance Negotiation Scale, therapist form, using Cronbach's alphas coefficients and item's homogeneity using adjusted item-total correlations. Finally, to test for criterion validity we explored the associations between the Alliance Negotiation Scale, therapist form, and the Working Alliance Inventory, therapist from, using Pearson's correlations. The principal component analysis suggested a one-dimensional solution integrated by nine items, explaining a 42.16% of the total variance. All the items in this solution had factorial weights above .40. Furthermore, the analysis of reliability on this version of the scale showed an adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's a = .82). The adjusted item-total correlations presented also evidences of homogeneity (r's range: between .34 and .66), suggesting that all the items explores different aspects from a common construct, without being redundant. Finally, the correlations between the Alliance Negotiation Scale, therapist form, and the Working Alliance Inventory, therapist from, presented evidences of criterion validity (r with WAI: .51, p < .001). This result showed an association between the measures but also indicate that they do not measure the exact some construct. The specific characteristics and properties of the Working Alliance Inventory, therapist from, presented in this paper, suggested that this measure represents an important contribution both for clinical practice and research. Future studies will need to further explore and confirm the psychometric properties of the Working Alliance Inventory, therapist from, and analyze its application for dyadic measures of the therapeutic alliance negotiation in psychotherapy.

Interpersonal profiles in emotional disorders predict the importance of alliance negotiation for early treatment outcome.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify differential baseline profiles of interpersonal problems in patients with emotional disorders and investigate their ability to predict the extent to which alliance is important for early treatment outcome in therapy. METHOD: Ninety-six patients diagnosed with emotional disorders were admitted to psychotherapy at an independent practice center. After the first session, participants completed the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems and, after each of the first four sessions, the Alliance Negotiation Scale and the Outcome Questionnaire. We characterized the interpersonal problems of the sample using the circular statistics and the structural summary methods. Based on evidence of heterogeneity between patients, we conducted cluster analysis to identify differential profiles of interpersonal problems. We tested whether the identified profiles can predict the strength of the association between alliance negotiation and early treatment outcome using hierarchical linear models. RESULTS: A two-cluster solution showed the best fit for the data. One cluster was characterized by Cold interpersonal problems (too hostile) and the other by Overly Nurturant interpersonal problems (too dependent). The identified profiles were significant predictors of the early alliance negotiation-outcome association. Overly Nurturant patients showed greater early improvements in outcome in the face of a stronger alliance negotiation. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the importance of personalized approaches using patients' interpersonal profiles to determine the importance of alliance negotiation for early treatment outcome. Findings should be replicated in randomized controlled trials using strategies to manipulate alliance negotiation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

A therapist version of the Alliance Negotiation Scale.

The aim of the current study was to design and evaluate a therapist version of the Alliance Negotiation Scale (ANS). The ANS was created in order to operationalize the construct of dyadic negotiation in psychotherapy and to augment existing conceptualizations of the working alliance. The ANS has existed only as a client self-report form since its inception and has demonstrated promise as a psychotherapy process measure. This research intended to develop a complementary therapist self-report version of the measure. The scale creation process is discussed in detail, and the results of a preliminary psychometric investigation are reported. The ANS-Therapist version (ANS-T) was developed using a sample of therapists (n = 114) through a principal components analysis procedure. The ANS-T contains 9 unidimensional items and was moderately correlated with therapist-reported working alliance (r = .468). The results of the study support the composition of the ANS-T and provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the measure.

A time-series analysis of therapeutic alliance, interventions, and client's clinical status in an evidence-based single-case study: Evidence for establishing change mechanisms in psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to analyze the time-series of alliance, interventions, and client's post-sessions clinical status, to establish if alliance and adherence to cognitive-behavioral interventions preceded improvement in psychotherapy Method: A single-case study of a complete Cognitive-Behavioral treatment of a 27-year-old male diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder treatment was conducted. Alliance, adherence to cognitive-behavioral interventions, and client's therapeutic condition were assessed every two sessions during the entire treatment. RESULTS: After controlling for the effect of autocorrelations, the transfer functions showed that alliance predicted client's clinical condition with a lag of two sessions throughout the entire treatment. However, the inverse relationship was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the hypothesis of a time-lagged association between alliance and subsequent client's changes in their clinical condition in single case of a cognitive-behavioral treatment.

[Virtual reality in mental health]. / Realidades virtuales en salud mental.

This article is a brief introduction on the history of virtual reality devices, their characteristics, structure, and applications in the feld of mental health. Firstly, an historical journey of the design and use of virtual reality devices is for mental health is presented. Secondly, the current applications of virtual reality for the treatment of mental health disorders are described. Finally, methodological and technical limitations are discussed.

El estudio del cambio en psicoterapia: desafíos conceptuales y problemas de investigación empírica / The study of change in psychotherapy conceptual challenges and empirical research issues

Introducción: A pesar de su obvio protagonismo, existe un escaso consenso en la forma de comprender y estudiar el cambio en psicoterapia. Objetivos y estructura: el presente trabajo ofrece una síntesis de las principales formas de conceptualizar y analizar el cambio en tratamientos psicoterapéuticos. Se describen tres conjuntos de problemas asociados con la temática, a saber: 1) los debates respecto a qué elementos debe modificar una psicoterapia, 2) los distintos esfuerzos y estrategias para medir el constructo "cambio", y 3) los diferentes criterios metodológicos para establecer si el cambio efectivamente ocurre en una psicoterapia. Se analiza cada eje tanto desde un punto de vista teórico como a la luz de los resultados de la investigación empírica. Discusión: Se presentan conclusiones del trabajo y se discuten las implicancias de la revisión efectuada para la práctica clínica y la investigación en psicoterapia.

Introduction: Although its importance in psychotherapy, there is a scarce consensus about how change must be understand and study. Aims and structure: this paper present a synthesis of the main ways of conceptualizing and analyzing change in psychotherapeutic treatments. We describe three types of challenges in this topic: 1) The debates about what its need to change by the therapy, 2) the strategies used to measure the "change" construct, & 3) the methodological criteria to establish if the change occurs. We analyze each of these axes from a theoretical point of view, and also based on the results of empirical research. Discussion: We present conclusions of the paper and discuss their implications for clinical practice and psychotherapy research.

Satisfacción de los pacientes en tratamientos por abuso de sustancias y su relación con variables de las instituciones asistenciales / Clients' satisfaction with a substance abuse treatments and its relationship with the institution characteristics

La satisfacción que los pacientes tienen con respecto a sus tratamientos es un indicador de la calidad de los mismos y un importante predictor de sus posibles resultados. Se analizaron los niveles de tal satisfacción en una muestra de pacientes con problemáticas de abuso de sustancias, tratados en instituciones del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA). Los grados de satisfacción fueron a su vez analizados en relación con las características diferenciales de las instituciones (tipo de institución, ubicación geográfica, género de los pacientes aceptados, presencia de cualidades atípicas en las instituciones) y la evolución de los tratamientos (duración y cantidad de interrupciones del proceso). A partir de un muestreo aleatorio por conglomerados y estratificado, se convocó una muestra de 216 participantes pertenecientes a 22 centros, que completaron un cuestionario de satisfacción, diseñado para este estudio. Los resultados mostraron niveles elevados de satisfacción en las distintas áreas exploradas, observando características distintivas de las instituciones asociadas a diferentes niveles de satisfacción, como es el caso del tipo de institución y el género de los participantes aceptados. No obstante, no se encontraron diferencias en los grados de satisfacción en función del tiempo de desarrollo del tratamiento y la cantidad de interrupciones del mismo. Los resultados obtenidos son discutidos en relación a los alcances del estudio, a la vez que se presentan sus limitaciones y se proponen futuras investigaciones para avanzar sobre esta temática.

The client satisfaction about his treatments it is an important indicator of its quality, but also a fundamental predictor of treatment outcome. Specifically, in patients with drug abuse disorders, the degrees of satisfaction with their treatments have presented lineal correlations with the amount of therapeutic change and the continuity in treatment (prevention of drop-out). Thus, the analysis of clients' satisfaction with their treatments is presented as an indirect and alternative strategy to analyze the effects of therapy for drug abuse disorders, a main health, social, and political problem in the world wide. In this exploratory study we analyzed the levels of satisfaction about their treatment in a sample of client's with substance abuse disorders, treated in institutions of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA). Then we explored the relationship among the levels of satisfaction with the specific features of the institutions where the treatments were conducted (type of institution, geographic location, genre of the clients accepted, and the presence of atypical characteristics) and with characteristics of the evolution of those treatments (treatments length and amount of interruptions during the therapeutic process). Based on a stratified cluster random sampling strategy, using the above-described characteristics of the institutions analyzed in this study to create the clusters, we designed a sample of 216 subjects that were treated in 22 institutions with treatments subsidized by the Argentine National Secretary for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and the Fight against Drug Trafficking (SEDRONAR by its acronym in Spanish). All the participants of this research completed a questionnaire developed ad hoc and based on previous developments, to explore patient's levels of satisfaction in six areas: Admission, General environment (divided into the sub-areas Human and physical context and Mistreatment), Satisfaction with food, Staff evaluation (divided into the sub-areas Overall staff assessment and Specific staff assessment), Satisfaction with treatment (divided into the sub-areas Treatment features, Treatments results, and Complementary therapeutic devices), and General treatment evaluation. Results showed that there were same features of the institutions related to different levels of satisfaction in the participants of the study. Regarding the type of institution, patients of the psychiatric clinics presented the lowest degrees of satisfaction while the patients of the day hospitals had the highest levels of satisfaction. Also different levels of satisfactions were observed based on the genre of the patients accepted in the institutions. Patients of the institutions that only accept male clients have greater degrees of satisfaction than patients in mixed institutions. No significant differences were found in patient's satisfaction due to institution geographical location. Also, we have not found a significant association between patient's satisfaction and treatment length or between treatment satisfaction and amount of interruptions in the therapy. The results are discussed in the context of the scopes of the study, while further research is suggested to move forward in the exploration of this issue. The differences in satisfaction due to the type of institution might be explained by the degree of openness and flexibility of the setting, but also by the severity of the patients that are included in eacht type of institutions. As well, the differences in satisfaction based on the genre of the patients accepted by the institution could be explained by the predominance of male patients in the population (85%) and the possible lack of adaptation of treatment characteristics to female specific necessities. However, the results of this research must be interpreted extremely cautious because of limitations of the study related to the sample method and the unknown psychometric properties (in terms of validity and reliability) of the instrument used.

Client-therapist agreement in the termination process and its association with therapeutic relationship.

There is no consensus among different therapeutic approaches on the process of termination when therapy does not have a prefixed duration. Moreover, both clinicians and researchers are still exploring decision making in the termination of treatment. The present study assessed former client's perspective of therapy termination in a nonprobabilistic sample from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Seventy-three semistructured interviews, lasting ∼60 min each, were conducted with participants that had finished a therapeutic treatment or dropped out. They were asked about several aspects of therapy, including their experience of termination, specifically who decided to terminate, if there was agreement on termination or not, and their thoughts on the termination process. All interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an adaptation of Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR). Quantitative analyses were also conducted to examine associations between variables. Two main factors emerged from the analysis: client/therapist initiative on termination; and level of agreement between client and therapist regarding termination. Whereas nearly all (95%) of therapist-initiated termination cases agreed on termination, client-initiated termination cases could be sorted in agreed (49%) and disagreed (51%) terminations. Both therapist-initiated terminations and agreed upon terminations presented more categories of positive termination motives, better therapeutic bond, and higher overall satisfaction with treatment. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

"For Me It Was a Key Moment of Therapy": Corrective Experience From the Client's Perspective.

Despite recent attempts to develop a consensus definition, questions still remain as to what constitutes corrective experiences (CEs) in psychotherapy and how clients perceive them. This qualitative study assessed clients' first person accounts of CEs associated with their own treatment-related changes. Participants were 8 clients in private psychotherapy in Buenos Aires. Treatment, by therapists from diverse theoretical backgrounds, varied from 4 to 24 months. The Patients' Perceptions of Corrective Experiences in Individual Therapy interview protocol was used to assess clients' perceptions of CEs at posttreatment. All interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed and submitted to a 2-stage thematic analysis to assess CEs and the contextual factors that contributed to them. Of the 8 participants, 5 narrated stories about CEs that changed the way they thought about themselves and their behavior. Additionally, clients highlighted disconfirmation of therapist role expectations and surprise regarding therapists' actions and behaviors as mechanisms of these corrective moments.