What is it about?
This article analyzed data from 14 previously published studies. Each of these studies looked at whether therapist focus on patient emotion may be related to patients getting better. This article studied a particular type of psychotherapy, namely psychodynamic therapy. In psychodynamic therapy, therapists intervene in a number of ways, including helping patients access their feelings, examine patterns in patients' lives, help patients understand their past, and gain an understanding of what takes place in the relationship between the therapist and patient. In this study, the results showed that when therapists worked with patients to help them more deeply feel their emotions and talk about these feelings, patients tended to make more improvement.
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Why is it important?
The results of this study have potentially important implications for ways in which therapists can better help their patients. Much of previous research has focused more on which type of treatment works best for patients, without necessarily identifying how such treatment actually works.
Perspectives
If we want our patients to get the best help with their struggles, we need to be clearer about how different types of treatment work. This study takes a step in that direction, and it will hopefully encourage other researchers to do the same.
Marc Diener
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Therapist affect focus and patient outcomes in psychodynamic therapy: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis., Psychotherapy, February 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/pst0000568.
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