TREATMENT LENGTH AND TERMINATION CONTRACTS IN DYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY -A COMPARISON OF FINDINGS FROM 2 INDEPENDENT STUDIES OF BRIEF DYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY

The associations between use of specific techniques and treatment outc ome were very similar in two independent studies of brief dynamic psyc hotherapy in Edmonton, Canada, and Oslo. However, the associations bet ween treatment length and outcome were the opposite in the two studies . The Edmonton study used a fixed time limit while the Oslo study used open-ended treatment, which may have contributed to the difference. P atients with a high quality of object relations (QOR) were able to mak e optimal use of the expected treatment length in both time-limited an d formally open-ended brief therapy, with regard to treatment-specific changes found at follow-up. In contrast, low QOR patients tended to d o relatively better with fewer sessions than 20 in time-limited therap y (Edmonton) but more than 35-40 sessions in formally open-ended thera py (Oslo). These findings elucidate the complex interaction among pati ent characteristics, treatment length, type of outcome, and contractua l factors in psychotherapy.