title: Therapist technique and patient defensive functioning in ultra-brief psychodynamic psychotherapy: a Lag sequential analysis.
abstract: This study examined the association between therapist interventions, including interpretations, and patient defensive functioning. The first session of 32 (n = 32) Brief Psychodynamic Interventions were rated for therapist interventions and patient defensive functioning. Lag sequential analysis was used to determine if (a) there are organized sequences of therapist interventions; (b) there are predictable sequences in the patients' level of defensive functioning; (c) there are sequences of therapist interventions leading to change in the patients' defensive functioning; and (d) there are levels of patient defensive functioning leading to organized therapist response. Results suggested that there are organized sequences in the therapists' interventions and that patient in-session defensive functioning is relatively stable. However, no chain of therapist interventions led to a predictable response in the patients' defensive functioning or vice versa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drapeau
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: de Roten
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Beretta
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: Annett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koerner
authors.forename: Jean-Nicolas
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Despland
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult