Evaluating the phase model of change during short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy.

This study examined the phase model of psychotherapy change (Howard, Lueger, Maling, & Martinovich, 1993; Howard, Moras, Brill, Martinovich, & Lutz, 1996) and assessed the domains of subjective well-being, symptomatic distress, and social/interpersonal functioning during short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. Specifically, we assessed evaluation/third-session to ninth-session changes in a group of 20 treated patients. These three domains were examined for both statistical and clinically significant change (Jacobson & Truax, 1991). Treatment fidelity and credibility were also evaluated. Statistical and clinically significant improvement in the domains of subjective well-being and symptom distress were evident by the ninth session of short-term dynamic psychotherapy. Statistical and reliable improvement were observed in relational functioning during the same time period. In addition, changes in both subjective well-being and symptomatic distress contributed unique and separate variance to predicting changes in social/interpersonal functioning. The results with respect to the differential effects predicted by the phase model of change during the early course of treatment are discussed.

Reliability and validity of DSM-IV axis V.

OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the reliability and convergent and discriminant validity of the DSM-IV Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and two experimental DSM-IV axis V global rating scales, the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale. METHOD: Forty-four patients admitted to a university-based outpatient community clinic were rated by trained clinicians on the three DSM-IV axis V scales. Patients also completed self-report measures of DSM-IV symptoms as well as measures of relational, social, and occupational functioning. RESULTS: The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale, and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale all exhibited very high levels of interrater reliability. Factor analysis revealed that the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale are each more related to the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale individually than they are to each other. The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale was significantly related to concurrent patient responses on the SCL-90-R global severity index. The Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale was significantly related to concurrent patient responses on the SCL-90-R global severity index and to a greater degree with both the Social Adjustment Scale global score and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems total score. Although the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale was not significantly related to any of the three self-report measures, it was related to the presence of clinician-rated axis II pathology. CONCLUSIONS: The three axis V scales can be scored reliably. The Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale and the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale evaluate different constructs. These findings support the validity of the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale as a scale of global psychopathology; the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale as a measure of problems in social, occupational, and interpersonal functioning; and the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale as an index of personality pathology. The authors discuss further refinement and use of the three axis V measures in treatment research.

Interaction of therapeutic process and alliance during psychological assessment.

Utilizing a collaborative therapeutic assessment (TA) model proposed by Finn and Tonsager (1997), we examined the interaction between therapeutic alliance and in-session process during the assessment phase of treatment. This study compares the utility of the TA model (n = 38) versus a traditional information gathering model (n = 90) of assessment. The results of this study indicate that the use of a TA model may decrease the number of patients who terminate treatment against medical advice. The Session Evaluation Questionnaire (Stiles & Snow, 1984), Combined Alliance Short Form (Hatcher & Barends, 1996), and Penn Helping Alliance Questionnaire-Revised (Barber & Crits-Christoph, 1996) can reliably measure the patient's experience of the assessment. The psychological assessment process may impact the patient's experience of assessment feedback and aid in the development of a therapeutic alliance. The therapeutic alliance developed during the assessment was found to be related to alliance early in psychotherapy. We discuss the theoretical, clinical, and research implications of these findings.