METHOD-ORIENTED STRATEGIES AND PROCESS-OR IENTED STRATEGIES OF PSYCHOTHERAPISTS

Several studies have shown that the use of therapeutic methods as well as the development of the therapeutic alliance are relevant for the s uccess of therapy. It is not clear in which way therapists use these t wo strategies and how far they are empirically related to each other. The following study with a sample of 6 therapists (3 male and 3 female ) cook place in the context: of the Bochum anxiety treatment study. 18 patients with an anxiety disorder, mainly panic disorder with agoraph obia (DSM-III-R) were treated with cognitive-behavioral methods. The p resent study tries to verify whether both strategies (method-oriented strategy and process-oriented strategy) can be found even on a micro-l evel of discrete intentions during the therapeutic process. For that p urpose the change of the therapists' intentions was tested on the leve l of therapy-sessions (N = 82). It was assumed that a method-oriented strategy differs from an process-oriented strategy in its higher grade of continuity (less change of intentions), its higher grade of delibe rate planning (vs, spontaneousness) and its higher quote of realizatio n (vs. postponing because of different circumstances in therapy). Futh ermore, positive correlations between the method-oriented strategy (vs . process-oriented strategy) and the success of the therapy were expec ted. The assumptions could be widely confirmed.