THERAPIST SESSION INTENTIONS IN COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL AND PSYCHODYNAMIC-INTERPERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY

Theories of psychotherapy are implemented by therapists' intentional a ctions within sessions. This study examined the structure and construc t validity of the Therapist Session Intentions (TSI) form. Ten therapi sts rated their therapeutic intentions following each of 2,305 therapy sessions of cognitive-behavioral or psychodynamic-interpersonal thera py in the Second Sheffield Psychotherapy Project. Seven conceptually c oherent clusters of intentions, or therapeutic foci, were identified: treatment context, session structure, affect, obstacles, encouraging c hange, behavior, and cognition-insight. Contrasting patterns of therap eutic focus across treatments and changes in focus across sessions wit hin treatments appeared conceptually coherent. Correlations across a s ubsample of sessions confirmed correspondences of the TSI foci with di mensions found previously in observers' ratings.