THE FIT BETWEEN THERAPIST AND PATIENT AS A DETERMINANT OF TREATMENT OUTCOME FOLLOWING INPATIENT GROUP-PSYCHOTHERAPY

Within a study concerning process and outcome of inpatient longterm gr oup treatments the specific question was tested to what extent charact eristics of the ''fit'' between the therapist and the patients were re lated to treatment outcome. The study shows that a concordance in the formulation of the treatment goals seems to be favorable for a positiv e outcome. Similarly, congruences between the therapeutic factors of t he group treatment, subjectively important for the patients, and those factors classified as typical for the treatment concept by the therap ists, were related to treatment success. The results can be discussed within the context of concepts of the therapeutic alliance and might h elp to operationalize those concepts in a more specific manner.