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OBJECTIVE METHODS OF EVALUATING PROCESS AND OUTCOME IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.108.4.258

Three new quantitative methods for studying process and outcome in psychotherapy have been discussed: first, the rating of protocols from electrical transcription of cases; second, the utilization of various control methods; and third, the employment of the Q-technique with therapists and patients. A number of illustrations of these objective methods have been presented and some of the first results from using these methods have been recounted. It is clear that these developments are in their infancy and that there is a great deal more to be done before highly significant results can be obtained. Nevertheless, there is real promise for understanding the nature of the psychotherapeutic process in a precise way if these new methods are imaginatively employed.

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