title: Outcomes of psychotherapy from the perspective of the users.
abstract: Psychotherapy is widely held to be an effective means to decrease depression. It seems, however, that not everyone benefits from every kind of therapy, and the relevant outcomes vary from person to person. In this article, the pre-therapy views and post-therapy experiences of 14 users of either long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy or short-term solution-focused therapy are analyzed. The interviewees' personal views about their depression and therapy are approached with the concept of inner narrative. Three "basic stories" or orientations were found: life historical, situational and moral. These offered people different contexts from which to evaluate the outcomes of their therapy. The findings suggest that a person's expectations, hopes and values are worth taking into account to ensure positive therapy outcomes.
authors.affiliation: University of Eastern Finland, Department of Social Sciences, Kuopio, Finland. jukka.valkonen@uef.fi
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valkonen
authors.forename: Vilma
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hanninen
authors.forename: Olavi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lindfors
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000592:standards; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000592:standards; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult