title: To be or not to be immediate with clients: the use and perceived effects of immediacy in psychodynamic/interpersonal psychotherapy.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the use and perceived effects of immediacy in 16 cases of open-ended psychodynamic psychotherapy. Of 234 immediacy events, most were initiated by therapists and involved exploration of unexpressed or covert feelings. Immediacy occurred during approximately 5% of time in therapy. Clients indicated in post-therapy interviews that they remembered and profited from immediacy, with the most typical observed consequences being clients expressing feelings about the therapist/therapy and opening up/gaining insight. Amount of immediacy was associated with therapists' but not clients' ratings of session process and outcome. Therapists focused more on feelings and less on ruptures, and initiated immediacy more often with fearfully than with securely attached clients. Implications for practice, training, and research are offered.
authors.affiliation: a Psychology Department , University of Maryland , College Park , MD , USA.
authors.forename: Clara E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gelso
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.forename: Patricia T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Spangler
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hummel
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Russell A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: Avantika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.forename: Shudarshana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Stacie C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ain
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klingaman
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Jingqing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kayi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Jezzi
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Miles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult