Success and Failure in Psychotherapy: Hypotheses and Results from the Heidelberg Follow-Up Project

摘要

Within the Heidelberg Follow-Up Project all treatments of the clinic regardless of the type of psychodynamic technique used are investigated. The outlet is both prospective and retrospective. There are four points of investigation: (1) immediately after the first contact with the hospital (2) at the beginning; (3) at the end of therapy, and (4) after a 2-year follow-up period. Immediately after the first contact with the patient a test battery (Giessen Test, Holzman Inkblot Technique, Gottschalk-Gleser Method, symptom checklist) is administered. This is repeated after a waiting period at the beginning of therapy, where in addition the therapist formulates a psychodynamic hypothesis and defines 3–5 individual treatment goals in connection with the individual pathology of the patient. At the end of the therapy the tests are repeated and the therapist assesses the success or failure of the therapy with regard to symptoms, object relations and psychodynamic change, while the patient fills out a special questionnaire dealing with his personal view of the therapy, the therapist and his own treatment experiences. The first results of about 100 combined inpatient and outpatient psychotherapies are presented (third test-round at the end of treatment). The results are discussed on the basis of the involved tests and ratings with respect to success and failure in the view of patients, therapists and independent clinical experts. Since the study is still under way, reports of the follow-up data are not yet evaluate