Title

Evaluation of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in a Community Mental Health Center

Department/School

Social Work

Date of this version

2009

Document Type

Article

Keywords

outpatient mental health treatment

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1521/jaap.2009.37.4.665

Abstract

This study describes an evaluation of the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy provided in an outpatient community mental health clinic. The study used a single group pretest-posttest design involving 78 clients. Clinical outcomes included overall psychosocial functioning and quality of life, level of subjective distress, interpersonal functioning and role functioning, measured by the Outcome Questionnaire (Lambert, Hansen, Umpress, Lunnen Okilshi, & Burlingame, 2000). Clients showed statistically significant improvement from pretest (first sessions) to completion of treatment in overall functioning, and quality of life, level of subjective distress, interpersonal functioning and role functioning. Eighty-five percent of clients made statistically and clinically significant change. Calculation of effect sizes for each outcome found moderate to strong change effects ranging from d = .4 to .9. The study illustrates a method of intervention research that therapists and agencies can use to integrate practical evaluation methods into their clinical services in order to improve mental health service to clients, to demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions, and to provide data to support coverage for needed services for clients.

Volume

37

Issue

4

Published in

Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis & Dynamic Psychiatry

Citation/Other Information

Bradshaw, W., Roseborough, D., Pahwa, R., & Jordan, J. (2009). Evaluation of psychodynamic psychotherapy in a community mental health center. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis & Dynamic Psychiatry, 37(4), 665-682. https://doi.org/10.1521/jaap.2009.37.4.665

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