Psychoanalytic Techniques in Different Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapies - An Analysis of Therapists' Self-Reports.

Abstract

Psychotherapy approaches based on psychoanalytic thinking which also modify standard technique are on the rise. Despite various theoretical considerations, empirical research seldom inspected concepts of practicing therapists concerning technique in different psychoanalytically oriented approaches. In an online survey, 124 German psychoanalysts and psychodynamic therapists described their technique on a Psychoanalytic Technique Questionnaire in 295 therapy phases, subjectively assessed as good, of four therapy approaches varying in setting and duration. Factor analysis extracted three therapeutic strategies: a classic, a clarifying, and a supportive technique. Linear mixed model analyses showed that, in therapies with a lower frequency of sessions and face-to-face setting as well as in shorter therapies, classic technique was less often and supportive technique more often used. Therapists' concepts of different psychoanalytically oriented approaches mostly agree with theoretical assumptions. Future research could inspect patient characteristics associated with specific techniques and the consequences of technique use for treatment success.