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[Combination of methods and integration of methods as standard in psychotherapy?].

Psychotherapy has undergone a relatively brief but nonetheless dramatic development, but this resulted in an enormous variety, extensive diversity, and good treatment possibilities. Can we say at this stage that the combination and integration of different methods in psychotherapy are today's standards? The authors, a psychoanalyst and a behavioural therapist, consider a greater transparency between the various therapeutic schools as a goal that must still be aimed at before methods can be combined. If such a combination is finally achieved, a standard psychotherapeutic treatment may evolve, since patients suffering from eating disorders, compulsive behaviour or anxiety would profit more from such treatment than from a merely "school"-oriented therapy. Initial ideas for achieving an integration of methods are discussed in respect of inherent limitations and risks.

Behavior Therapy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in patient management: results of the Heidelberg Catamnesis Project].

In the "Heidelberg Long Term Psychotherapy Follow-up Project", a naturalistic study design, all types of treatment were included that had been performed at the Psychosomatic Clinic of the University of Heidelberg for a certain period (combined inpatient and outpatient individual and group therapy, as well as outpatient dynamic psychotherapies and psychoanalyses). The specific value of this project is due to the fact that--apart from many other, for instance psychological, assessment evaluations--three to five individual therapy goals had been predetermined for each patient before starting the treatment (goal attainment scaling). After the end of therapy and at the time of follow-up (3.5 years later on the average), attainment of these goals was assessed by an independent rater. A total of 208 patients were examined who were evaluated according to their diagnosis (neurotic, functional or psychosomatic disorders) and the kind of treatment. With regard to symptomatology, individual therapy goals, psychological assessment and patient satisfaction, the overall results were good, partly very good, and were almost invariably stable during the long follow-up period. Two particular results are discussed separately: 1. As far as symptomatology was concerned, the group of psychoanalysis patients could not maintain the good outcome at the end of therapy during the long follow-up period. 2. Patients with "psychosomatic disorders" attained remarkably good results, particularly if the treatment had initially been an inpatient setting.

Adolescent↗