Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, Vol 35(2), Jun 2025, 122-138; doi:10.1037/int0000361
In psychotherapy, both distinctive techniques (i.e., defining techniques and interventions of a specific psychotherapeutic approach) and common factors (i.e., characteristics that are common to all different psychotherapeutic approaches) contribute to positive outcomes and interact. Investigating how these two relate helps identifying complementing areas of development for psychotherapists in the sense of an integrative psychotherapeutic work. According to Grawe (1995), based on the underlying theories of psychodynamic–interpersonal psychotherapy (PI) and cognitive–behavioral psychotherapy (CBT), we assume that—although both should be rated as qualitatively positive—PI distinctive techniques should place greater emphasis on problem activation and motivation clarification, whereas CBT distinctive techniques on problem solving and resource activation. Following an outpatient–psychotherapeutic session (either PI or CBT), 53 psychotherapists and their corresponding 53 patients filled out a self-assessment questionnaire assessing distinctive and common factors related to the previous session. Correlations were calculated between distinctive PI-respective CBT techniques (subscales according to the Comparative Psychotherapy Process Scale) on the one hand and instruments assessing common psychotherapy factors (Bern Post Session Evaluation Questionnaire) on the other hand. From both, patients’ and psychotherapists’ perspectives, using PI distinctive techniques significantly related to problem actualization, motivational clarification, and problem solving. From psychotherapists’ perspective, using CBT distinctive interventions significantly related to resource activation and problem solving. From patients’ perspective, the use of PI and CBT distinctive techniques significantly related to a claimed good quality of the past session. All significant correlations were in a medium to large range. We discuss how integrating distinctive techniques might promote the occurrence of (effective) common factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)