Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training

Identification of cultural conversations in therapy using natural language processing models.
Researchers have historically focused on understanding therapist multicultural competency and orientation through client self-report measures and behavioral coding. While client perceptions of therapist cultural competency and multicultural orientation and behavioral coding are important, reliance on these methods limits therapists receiving systematic, scalable feedback on cultural opportunities within sessions. Prior research demonstrating the feasibility of automatically identifying topics of conversation in psychotherapy suggests that natural language processing (NLP) models could be trained to automatically identify when clients and therapists are talking about cultural concerns and could inform training and provision of rapid feedback to therapists. Utilizing 103,170 labeled talk turns from 188 psychotherapy sessions, we developed NLP models that recognized the discussion of cultural topics in psychotherapy (F—1 = 70.0; Spearman’s ρ = 0.78, p <.001). We discuss implications for research and practice and applications for future NLP-based feedback tools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
A cultural adaptation of acceptance and commitment therapy with exercise for older Chinese with chronic pain and depressive symptoms: A mixed-methods study.
Chronic pain and depression are highly prevalent and correlated in older adults. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and exercise have been shown to be effective for both conditions, mostly in Western literature. Little is known about integrating two approaches, particularly in Asian cultures and among less well-educated people. This article describes the iterative process of developing a culturally adapted ACT with exercise intervention for older Chinese with chronic pain and depressive symptoms. A multidisciplinary expert panel codesigned a culturally adapted ACT with exercise intervention, comprising a weekly 2-hr ACT and a 1½-hr exercise program for 8 weeks, focusing on six ACT core components and low-to-moderate intensity circuit-based resistance exercise. Its feasibility was tested through a mixed-methods, pretest–posttest design with 22 older Chinese experiencing chronic pain and depressive symptoms (Mage = 71.5 years, SD = 7.5, 86% female). Participants showed significant improvements in pain intensity, pain interference, pain self-efficacy, physical performance, pain acceptance, and committed action (all p <.05). We identified five themes to inform protocol revision: (1) contextualizing values, (2) utilizing experiential learning, (3) using culturally appropriate metaphors, (4) establishing linkage between ACT concepts and pain, and (5) promoting application through repetition and prompts. Incorporating these findings, the final protocol emphasized three core ACT components and one set of physical exercises. This is the first study demonstrating the feasibility of a culturally adapted, person-centered tailoring ACT with exercise intervention for improving pain-related outcomes and mental wellness among older Chinese. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Considerations for the use of dialectical behavior therapy for individuals experiencing oppression.
As the popularity of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) grows, so does its use with increasingly diverse groups of clients. In this article, we demonstrate that DBT in its standard form can incorporate the sequelae of oppression as a target of treatment by providing clients with skills to identify oppression and its impact while responding effectively. To support the use of DBT with individuals experiencing emotion/behavior dysregulation and oppression, we review how each of the primary strategies of DBT can be used within the context of oppression. Specifically, we discuss how dialectical philosophy, the acceptance/change dialectic, communication strategies, and case management strategies can be viewed through an oppression lens. A brief review of DBT research with historically oppressed populations and common pitfalls in treating oppressed individuals is presented. As research in examining and adapting DBT for minoritized groups continues to catch up to clinical need, guidance is presented here for researchers and clinicians interested in using this empirically supported treatment in communities that experience oppression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Physiological regulation processes differentiate the experience of ruptures between patient and therapist.
The empirical and clinical literature emphasizes the importance of alliance ruptures, signaling therapeutic processes occurring within and between the partners of the therapeutic dyad. However, knowledge about the underlying regulatory processes that occur amid ruptures is scarce. Identifying the underlying physiological markers may shed light on these regulatory processes. The overarching goal of the present study was to explore physiological markers of withdrawal and confrontation ruptures, within the patient and the therapist. Given the little known on the subject, we used a single-case design (94 episodic segments) to explore biologically based regulatory processes in the face of a rupture, contrasting confrontation ruptures versus withdrawal ruptures versus control episodes (emotional and neutral episodes). Findings showed that the patient and the therapist had contrasting physiological responses to the ruptures, depending on the type. During withdrawal ruptures, the patient exhibited high regulation, while the therapist did not show a clear physiological reaction. During confrontation ruptures, the patient exhibited low regulation, while the therapist exhibited high regulation. The different physiological regulation processes at times of ruptures suggest that, in withdrawal, the patient relied on intrapersonal regulation, contrasting with the interpersonal regulation observed in confrontation ruptures. Findings remained robust after controlling for speech turns and 10,000 Monte Carlo permutations to assess chance-level results. These findings provide initial evidence for the link between arousal and behavior in ruptures, offering valuable psychoeducational material for therapists to improve their handling of these challenging moments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Alliance rupture and repair in adolescent psychotherapy: What clinicians can learn from research.
The collaborative relationship between a client and therapist, known as the therapeutic alliance, plays an important part in promoting engagement and symptom improvement in adolescent psychotherapy. However, research indicates that alliance strains, called ruptures, are common among this age group, emphasizing the importance of addressing and resolving them for enhanced engagement and better outcomes. Despite this, there is a dearth of age-specific guidelines for effectively fostering a positive alliance and repairing these ruptures. This review examines existing literature to (a) summarize the current understanding of alliance formation in youth psychotherapy, particularly considering the distinct characteristics of working with adolescents, and (b) provide evidence-based recommendations to assist youth therapists in building strong alliances and effectively addressing alliance ruptures with this age group. Existing evidence indicates that while guidance designed for adult therapy can be beneficial, working with adolescents poses unique challenges. These include resistance to treatment, engagement in risky behaviors, confidentiality issues, and parental involvement, which can strain the therapeutic relationship. This emphasizes the importance for youth therapists to understand the unique challenges and developmental stages adolescents face and to adapt their approach accordingly. By doing so, therapists can effectively address the needs of adolescents, fostering a strong alliance and handling any ruptures that may arise. Despite being a relatively new area of study with its inherent limitations, this review underscores the critical role of alliance research in improving therapy for adolescents and guiding the training of therapists who work with this age group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Increasing outcome measurement precision: Network analysis of items on the Outcome Questionnaire-45.
Psychotherapy outcome research mainly focuses on scale-level changes and constructs that were developed using cross-sectional statistical analysis, possibly concealing important findings on the level of single items, and limiting the clinical utility of outcome scales. Our goal was to explore changes in symptoms, interpersonal problems, and level of functioning in everyday life and to establish groups of items with similar rates of change that could be used to form more coherent targets for measuring different therapeutic outcomes. Triangulated maximally filtered graphs were used to model the network structure of the Outcome Questionnaire-45 in a data set of N = 12,075 university counseling center patients. Dynamic exploratory graph analysis was used to establish communities of items with similar rates of change. Five item communities (anxiety, hopelessness, interpersonal problems, well-being, and work impairment) were found. Compared to the original Outcome Questionnaire-45 subscales, they showed better fit to the data. The “hopelessness” community, which describes the extent of a patient’s demoralization before the start of therapy, had a significantly higher rate of change compared to other communities. The discerned item communities provide clinicians with theoretically grounded, precise targets for outcome tracking, thereby enhancing the responsiveness and adaptability of treatment interventions to individual client trajectories. Such granularity enriches our understanding of therapeutic change, with direct implications for tailoring intervention strategies to maximize early therapeutic gains and sustain long-term recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
“After the thrill is gone”: The role of psychotherapy in coping with romantic breakups.
To investigate the perceptions of ex-romantic partners regarding the extent to which and ways in which psychotherapy facilitates coping with the consequences of the dissolution of past relationships, a multipart survey (Representations of Past Significant Others) that included Likert-type, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions about the ways in which individuals remember a past significant relationship and the ways in which they have moved toward closure from that relationship was disseminated via social media and networking. An attachment status measure (Experience in Close Relationship Scale–Short Form) was also administered. A total of 1,846 respondents, mean age 30.6 and predominantly White, heterosexual, female, and from the United States, completed the survey, 74.6% of whom attended psychotherapy post breakup. On average, respondents who engaged in therapy following their breakup found it to be moderately to very helpful; younger respondents, those in longer term relationships, and those with higher scores on the Experience in Close Relationship Scale–Short Form Anxiety subscale evaluated the helpfulness of therapy more highly. Multiple clinical interventions were perceived as helpful in coping with romantic breakups, including normalizing respondents’ feelings about their experience, encouraging them to be more aware of their feelings, encouraging them to move forward with their lives, reminding them of their strengths, exploring the story of the relationship and the breakup, and challenging their self-critical thoughts or feelings. Understanding who is best served by postbreakup therapy and the specific interventions, psychotherapeutic and otherwise, that move individuals toward closure may facilitate therapists’ efforts to help with this common source of client distress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Psychotherapy - Vol 61, Iss 4