An investigation of client mood in the initial and final sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to examine client mood in the initial and final sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy (PIT) and to determine how client mood is related to therapy outcomes.


METHODS
Hierarchical linear modeling was applied to data from a clinical trial comparing CBT with PIT. In this trial, client mood was assessed before and after sessions with the Session Evaluation Questionnaire-Positivity Subscale (SEQ-P).


RESULTS
In the initial sessions, CBT clients had higher pre-session and post-session SEQ-P ratings and greater pre-to-post session mood change than did clients in PIT. In the final sessions, these pre, post, and change scores were generally equivalent across CBT and PIT. CBT outcome was predicted by pre- and post-session SEQ-P ratings from both the initial sessions and the final sessions of CBT. However, PIT outcome was predicted by pre- and post-session SEQ-P ratings from the final sessions only. Pre-to-post session mood change was unrelated to outcome in both treatments.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest different change processes are at work in CBT and PIT.
a Department of Psychology , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
Andrew S
AS
Mcclintock
b Department of Psychology, Miami University , Oxford , OH , USA.
William B
WB
Stiles
a Department of Psychology , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
Lina
L
Himawan
a Department of Psychology , Ohio University , Athens , OH , USA.
Timothy
T
Anderson
c Department of Psychology , The University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.
Michael
M
Barkham
c Department of Psychology , The University of Sheffield , Sheffield , UK.
Gillian E
GE
Hardy
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D064889:Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic / Q000379:methods*
change process; client mood; cognitive-behavioral therapy; psychodynamic-interpersonal therapy; session mood