Uncovering Interaction Structures in a Brief Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Interaction structures refers to the repetitive ways of interaction between the patient-therapist dyad over the course of treatment. This construct is operationalized by the repeated application of the Psychotherapy Process Q-Set (PQS) to psychotherapy sessions. Studies in this line of research have so far focused only on long-term treatment. The present study examines whether interaction structures can be detected empirically in short-term psychotherapies. All sessions (N = 31) of a successful case of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy were coded with the Psychotherapy Process Q-Set (PQS). The application of Q type factor analysis procedures with varimax rotation revealed five interaction structures: resistance, alliance, facing depression, expectation of change, and introspection and hearing. The analysis of variation of these structures over the course of the treatment showed that these interactions are nonlinear, may be positively or negatively protruding in different sessions, or be predominant at some treatment phase.