Aptitude-treatment interactions based on clients' assimilation of their presenting problems

J Consult Clin Psychol. 1997 Oct;65(5):889-93. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.65.5.889.

Abstract

Assigning clients to treatments on the basis of their differential aptitudes for those treatments may reduce variability and improve the mean outcomes of psychotherapy. The assimilation model suggests that in time-limited treatments, clients with well-assimilated problems would do better in cognitive or behavioral therapies than in psychodynamic, experiential, or interpersonal therapies, whereas the reverse should be the case for clients with poorly assimilated problems. Results for high-, moderate-, and low-assimilation subgroups (based on rating the level of assimilation of problems presented in the first 20 min of first sessions) of clients (N = 112) randomly assigned to time-limited cognitive-behavioral or psychodynamic-interpersonal treatment supported the first suggestion but not the second (clients with poorly assimilated problems did equally well in both treatments).

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aptitude*
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / methods
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Depressive Disorder / therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Selection*
  • Personality Inventory
  • Psychoanalytic Therapy / methods
  • Psychotherapy / methods*
  • Treatment Outcome