PATIENT THERAPIST INTERACTION IN THE BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT OF PANIC DISORDER WITH AGORAPHOBIA

Although effective behavioral techniques have been developed, what asp ects of the patient-therapist interaction affect treatment outcome rem ain largely unknown. This study hypothesized that the interaction betw een patient and therapist develops over several phases. Further, the a ssociation between behavior modes and treatment outcome was expected t o alter as that interaction developed. Thirty patients diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia were treated with a standardized behav ioral treatment program of 12 sessions. The interpersonal verbal thera pist and patient behavior modes were studied at Sessions 1, 3, and 10, using an observational instrument. It was found that behavior modes c hange over the course of treatment, in line with predictions derived f rom social-psychological models. The hypothesis that establishing a th erapeutic relationship requires an empathic and nondirective stance by the therapist in Session 1 was partly confirmed.