TY - JOUR

T1 - Patient Perspectives on Co-Therapists’ Behaviors in Group CBT

AU - Bryde Christensen, Anne

AU - Riis, Malene Gehring

AU - Wahrén, Signe

AU - Reinholt, Nina

AU - Skov, Amalie Christine

AU - Poulsen, Stig

AU - Simonsen, Erik

AU - Arnfred, Sidse

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Therapist behaviour influences group cohesion and the outcome of group psychotherapy. The group members make first hand observations of the therapists in action, and experience the benefit or adversity from it. This study explores patients’ experiences of therapist behaviour and how it is helpful and hindering for progress in cognitive behavioural therapy groups for anxiety and depression. We interviewed 23 patients from 17 different CBT groups. The fully transcribed texts were analyzed using Braun & Clarke’s thematic analysis with blinded double coding of 26% of the material. The resulting themes were (1) the co-therapists, (2) the way to communicate, (3) the session structure, and (4) the therapists as group facilitators. Helpful and hindering aspects were highlighted in each theme. A novel finding of the study was the importance of the interaction between the two co-therapists, which was underscored by the patients’ investment in attempts to make meaning of their interplay when it was not harmonic. As previously described, helpful aspects of therapist behaviour included: concise communication delivered in an empathic way, ability to structure sessions flexibly and the facilitation of group cohesion. The results add to our understanding of the therapists’ complex role in CBT groups and they should inform future group therapist training.

AB - Therapist behaviour influences group cohesion and the outcome of group psychotherapy. The group members make first hand observations of the therapists in action, and experience the benefit or adversity from it. This study explores patients’ experiences of therapist behaviour and how it is helpful and hindering for progress in cognitive behavioural therapy groups for anxiety and depression. We interviewed 23 patients from 17 different CBT groups. The fully transcribed texts were analyzed using Braun & Clarke’s thematic analysis with blinded double coding of 26% of the material. The resulting themes were (1) the co-therapists, (2) the way to communicate, (3) the session structure, and (4) the therapists as group facilitators. Helpful and hindering aspects were highlighted in each theme. A novel finding of the study was the importance of the interaction between the two co-therapists, which was underscored by the patients’ investment in attempts to make meaning of their interplay when it was not harmonic. As previously described, helpful aspects of therapist behaviour included: concise communication delivered in an empathic way, ability to structure sessions flexibly and the facilitation of group cohesion. The results add to our understanding of the therapists’ complex role in CBT groups and they should inform future group therapist training.

KW - Anxiety

KW - Co-leadership

KW - Cognitive behavioural therapy

KW - Depression

KW - Group psychotherapy

KW - Group therapy

KW - Mental health services

KW - Patient perspectives

KW - Qualitative

KW - Qualitative research

KW - Therapist effects

KW - User-perspective

U2 - 10.1007/s10879-022-09530-1

DO - 10.1007/s10879-022-09530-1

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85123252459

VL - 52

SP - 181

EP - 189

JO - Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy

JF - Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy

SN - 0022-0116

ER -