Psychotherapy Process
Explore the dynamics and stages of the psychotherapy process, from the initial client assessment to the therapeutic interventions that promote healing. This section provides insights into the complexities of therapeutic relationships and strategies to enhance treatment effectiveness.
254 articles found
Neurobiological Synchrony and Group Psychotherapy: A Potential Path Forward for Group Process and Outcomes Research
A Potential Path Forward for Group Process and Outcomes Research Recent research on therapist-patient neurobiological synchrony in individual psychotherapy has suggested a potential connection between biological synchrony and therapeutic change mechanisms (Zilcha-Mano et al., 2021). This type of burgeoning research is an exciting step forward in psychotherapy process and outcomes research, given the extent to […]
Kelly Gleischman, MAT + 1 more
December 3, 2024
Psychotherapist Professional Wills: Easy to Avoid, Crucial to Address
Importance of Creating a Professional Will As therapists, we take time, intention, thoughtfulness, and care in developing our relationships with clients. Many of us see this bond as a vehicle for change. We may acknowledge our clients’ attachments, sometimes even dependency, on us at certain stages of treatment, and we strive to operate with integrity and […]
Robyn Miller, PhD
December 2, 2024
Invitation to Join the SAP Professional Practice Committee
We invite you to take an active role in our division by joining our Professional Practice Committee. As a committee member, you’ll have the opportunity to shape policies, advocate for needed changes, and set standards that benefit therapists and clients alike. Enhance your professional development, connect with leaders and peers, and expand your expertise on […]
Amy E. Ellis, Ph.D. + 1 more
October 31, 2024
My “Best Practices” in Psychotherapy: Part I
As I write this, I am 75 ½ years old, doing psychotherapy part-time, and coming off the highest practice income month ever in the history of my 50-year career. I continue to find the work captivating and meaningful. As one of my graduate school professors, the renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, M.D., used to remind us, […]
Steven J. Hendlin, Ph.D.
October 14, 2024
My “Best Practices” in Psychotherapy: Part II
Techniques: Weaving and Blending Surface and Depth I have found it a powerful combination to utilize both pointing out and working with surface behaviors as they occur and alternatively, interpreting unconscious dynamics as appropriate. The surface—what is happening in the present as the patient presents themself—blended with making conscious what has been unconscious, may work […]
Steven J. Hendlin, Ph.D.
October 14, 2024
Suicide Prevention Using Artificial Intelligence: Collaborative Support Approach
The World Health Organization (WHO) asserts that suicide is a significant global health problem. In 2016, the suicide rate was estimated to be 10.6 per 100,000 individuals, with 80% of these cases occurring in low-income and middle-income countries (Fazel et al., 2020). Often, individuals at risk of suicide do not seek help from their clinicians […]
Caleb Onah, MS
October 14, 2024
A First Year Doctoral Student’s Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice in Psychotherapy: What I’m Taking with me Into Sessions as a New Therapist
As a first year doctoral student in counseling psychology, I have been immersed in scholarship surrounding the topic of how to be a successful therapist. Now, as I am approaching the start of practica, I am beginning to consider how I will integrate what I have learned into my own client sessions in a more […]
Jill D. Paquin, PhD + 1 more
September 25, 2024
What to Expect When Therapying – Understanding Change Process Expectations
When patients walk into the first therapeutic session, meet their therapist for the first time, and sit (perhaps comfortably, perhaps uncomfortably) on the sofa, we would say therapy has begun. But did the therapy actually begin even before this moment? With their thoughts about their therapy, their fears about how it will be, their expectations […]
Dana Elberg, MA + 3 more
September 25, 2024
A Most Queer Language: The Case Against an All-Inclusive Buffet in Therapy
The vantage point of a queer-identifying therapist is uniquely translucent; I see some things in sharp resolution, while there are other things that remain opaque. How does a queer therapist affirm a queerness that endangers them as well? How does a queer therapist affirm a queerness that bemuses them? Sitting across from a patient tussling […]
Damini Yadav, MS
September 22, 2024
Measurement-Based Care and Cultural Responsiveness
While the case has been made that measurement-based care (MBC) is an evidenced-based intervention that improves outcomes and reduces dropouts (de Jong et al., 2021), and recently, that it provides a transparent collaborative process to engage clients in treatment (Boswell et al., 2023), it has not been widely considered as a methodology for cultural responsiveness. This […]
Robert J. Reese, Ph.D. + 1 more
September 21, 2024
The Psychotherapeutic Benefits of Informed Consent with Suicidal Patients
Informed consent has three dimensions: legal, ethical, and psychotherapeutic, and it is often considered a precursor to the intervention. However, there is no clear break between when the informed consent process ends and when psychotherapy begins because the informed consent process can also contain psychotherapeutic elements. By giving more attention to the psychotherapeutic aspects of […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
September 15, 2024
Dealing with Bias in Artificial Intelligence Driven Psychotherapy Tools Among Cultural and Racial Populations
Psychotherapy as a tool for treating various mental and physical health disorders has long been established as an effective treatment modality for mental disorders in Western populations, demonstrating efficacy and long-term efficiency (Kim et al., 2019). However, some authors argue that Western approaches and models in psychotherapy may not be suitable for Black Africans (Shatte […]
Caleb Onah, MS
September 13, 2024