What is therapeutic in psychotherapy? Systematic approach to the investigation of the psychotherapeutic process

Abstract

An overview of the historical development of process research in psichotherapy leads to the distinction of two prototypical research programs: In type A-studies, therapeutic processes are considered as a fixed succession of treatment conditions. Under the causal perspective of a transactional model, type-B-approaches conceive psychotherapy as arrangements of segments, periods of phases. Moreover, contextual influences are considered as necessary components of the psychotherapy process. Conceptual and methodological implications of both approaches are discussed.