Christopher Hautmann, Felix Oswald, Jana Egemann, Nina Geldermann, Martin Hellmich, Kerstin Daniela Rosenberger, Kim de Jong, Maartje A M S van Sonsbeek, Danny Gehlen, Katrin Woitecki, Daniel Walter, Lydia Dachs, Anja Görtz-Dorten, Hildegard Goletz, Claudia Kinnen, Christiane Rademacher, Stephanie Schürmann, Tanja Wolff Metternich-Kaizman
{"title":"Efficacy of measurement-based care (MBC) in routine child and youth behavioral therapy: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Christopher Hautmann, Felix Oswald, Jana Egemann, Nina Geldermann, Martin Hellmich, Kerstin Daniela Rosenberger, Kim de Jong, Maartje A M S van Sonsbeek, Danny Gehlen, Katrin Woitecki, Daniel Walter, Lydia Dachs, Anja Görtz-Dorten, Hildegard Goletz, Claudia Kinnen, Christiane Rademacher, Stephanie Schürmann, Tanja Wolff Metternich-Kaizman","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2721647","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2721647","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Objective</b>: This pragmatic randomized trial evaluated a low-frequency measurement-based care (MBC) approach in children and youth. <b>Method:</b> In the modified intention-to-treat sample (mITT), 317 children (6-10) and youth (11-17) were randomized to behavioral therapy with or without MBC; 169 completed the trial per protocol (PP). Outcomes were assessed by masked raters, therapists, caregivers, and youth. <b>Results:</b> Average MBC participation ranged from 69% to 87% across informants, while therapists discussed the report at least once in only 29.3% of cases. In the mITT analysis, masked ratings of total symptoms (SFSS-I) showed no effect, <i>d</i> = 0.00, 95% CI [-0.22, 0.22], while caregiver-rated externalizing symptoms (FBB-SCREEN) showed a small reduction, <i>d</i> = -0.17, [-0.33, -0.01]. In the PP analysis, masked ratings (SFSS-I) remained nonsignificant, <i>d</i> = -0.29, [-0.59, 0.01], but caregiver ratings showed significant reductions in externalizing (FBB-SCREEN), <i>d</i> = -0.29, [-0.53, -0.05], and internalizing symptoms (CBCL), <i>d</i> = -0.32, [-0.61, -0.03]. <b>Conclusions:</b> Low-frequency MBC may offer practical advantages for child and youth therapy, such as good participation, but its efficacy remained insufficient, likely reflecting implementation challenges. Differences between caregiver and masked outcomes may indicate a risk of overestimating treatment effects when assessments are unblinded.<b>Trial registration:</b> German Clinical Trials Register identifier: DRKS00016737.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149208159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jana Egemann, Andres De Los Reyes, Manfred Döpfner, Christopher Hautmann
{"title":"Assessing caregiver-adolescent agreement on internalizing symptoms as a predictor of treatment outcomes: A response surface approach.","authors":"Jana Egemann, Andres De Los Reyes, Manfred Döpfner, Christopher Hautmann","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2743616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2743616","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Discrepancies between caregiver and adolescent reports of youth psychopathology are common. Although they may complicate clinical assessment and treatment planning, their association with psychotherapy outcomes in routine clinical care remains insufficiently understood. We examined whether baseline agreement between caregiver and adolescent reports of internalizing symptoms predicted post-treatment outcomes.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Data were drawn from 1,648 caregiver-adolescent dyads receiving outpatient treatment in Germany (57.6% female adolescents; 85.8% medium/high socioeconomic status). Adolescents completed the Youth Self-Report and caregivers the Child Behaviour Checklist. Polynomial regression with multilevel response surface analyses examined whether baseline agreement and discrepancy predicted treatment satisfaction, psychosocial functioning, and internalizing symptoms. Exploratory analyses tested moderation by adolescent sex, family socioeconomic status, and family psychiatric history.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Baseline caregiver-adolescent agreement showed small associations with specific treatment outcomes. Higher agreement was associated with slightly higher treatment satisfaction (marginal <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = .022) and better psychosocial functioning (marginal <i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = .040) but was unrelated to internalizing symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Baseline caregiver-adolescent agreement was not associated with post-treatment internalizing symptom levels. Interpretation of these null findings should consider the potential influence of shared method bias, as the same informants contributed to predictor and outcome assessments. Agreement may serve as a modest marker of selected therapist-rated treatment outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding therapists' use of routine outcome monitoring in a low-embedded context. A qualitative study in Italian public health services.","authors":"Arianna Teti, Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo, Human-Friedrich Unterrainer, Chiara Urone, Gloria Lagetto, Salvatore Gullo","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2744366","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2744366","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) improves psychotherapy outcomes, yet its integration into routine clinical practice remains limited in settings where it is not structurally embedded. This study examines how psychotherapists engage with and make sense of ROM in such low-implementation contexts, using Italian public mental health services as an empirical case.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Fifteen psychotherapists who used ROM for 12 to 36 months within a larger clinical trial were interviewed about their experiences. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Constructivist Grounded Theory.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Therapists described ROM as a flexible resource rather than a fixed tool, articulated along two dimensions: as a clinical technique within the therapeutic dyad and as an organizational device supporting supervision and service processes. Its usefulness depended on clinicians' ability to integrate these dimensions. ROM supported patient engagement, clinical decision-making, and monitoring of treatment progress, while also enabling organizational and supervisory functions. However, insufficient training limited its consistent use.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In non-mandatory contexts, ROM integration depends on clinicians' capacity to construct its clinical meaning and extend its use across professional domains, highlighting the role of contextual and training factors.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149185479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Timothy J Sullivan, Michael Katz, Kriti Behari, Kate McMillen, Bianca Cersosimo, Mark L Hatzenbuehler, Steven A Safren, John E Pachankis
{"title":"Measuring LGBTQ-affirmative therapist behavior: Development of the LGBTQ Affirmation and Discussion In-Session (LADI) Inventory.","authors":"Timothy J Sullivan, Michael Katz, Kriti Behari, Kate McMillen, Bianca Cersosimo, Mark L Hatzenbuehler, Steven A Safren, John E Pachankis","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2743594","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2743594","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The within-session processes that constitute LGBTQ-affirmative psychotherapy remain under-specified.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We developed and validated an observational measure of therapists' LGBTQ affirmation and discussion in-session (LADI) in a study of 57 gay and bisexual men who received 10 sessions of treatment-as-usual in two LGBTQ community organizations as part of a larger trial.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Independent raters reliably agreed on the presence of LGBTQ affirmation and discussion in sessions when using the LADI. Even when controlling for the therapeutic alliance, clients exhibited greater change in observer-rated depressive symptoms, self-reported substance use consequences, and internalized heterosexism when they had a therapist who displayed more LGBTQ affirmation on the LADI, although results for internalized heterosexism may have been sensitive to an outlier. The LADI did not predict changes in HIV-risk-transmission behavior, alcohol use, anxiety symptoms, suicidal ideation, rejection sensitivity, sexual orientation concealment, or identity affirmation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The LADI can facilitate future research on LGBTQ-affirmative psychotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149197159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Clara Paz, Daniel Espinosa-Duque, Itaty Benalcázar-Betancourt, Jorge Valdiviezo-Oña, Diana María Ocampo Lopera, Dayana Muñoz
{"title":"From expectation to experience: Therapists' and trainees' perspectives on implementing routine outcome monitoring in a training context.","authors":"Clara Paz, Daniel Espinosa-Duque, Itaty Benalcázar-Betancourt, Jorge Valdiviezo-Oña, Diana María Ocampo Lopera, Dayana Muñoz","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2745622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2745622","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Routine outcome monitoring is intended to support clinical decision-making, professional development, and evidence-informed practice in psychotherapy. However, limited qualitative evidence exists on how perceptions of this monitoring transform during implementation. This study explored expectations before implementing a routine outcome monitoring system and subsequent experiences among twenty therapists and trainees at a university-based psychotherapy training center.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We employed an exploratory qualitative design, conducted semi-structured interviews before and after implementation, and analyzed them using Consensual Qualitative Research.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We organized findings around five analytical axes: (1) participants reported heterogeneous prior knowledge and abstract initial assessments; (2) anticipated responsibilities became hands-on learning experiences that build long-term competence; (3) anticipated benefits showed continuity with post-implementation experiences while also becoming more specific, alongside organizational benefits that emerged after implementation; (4) some abstract concerns shifted into concrete challenges, including administrative demands, technical limitations, and difficulties integrating outcome data into clinical work; (5) initial preferences were refined into more specific, practice-grounded recommendations.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Implementing routine outcome monitoring gradually reshapes clinical practice and professional roles. Operational and technical obstacles appeared more prominent than attitudinal resistance in limiting implementation. When clinicians embed monitoring into practice with ongoing training and institutional support, this integration strengthens clinical decision-making and professional development.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149138833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Shedding light on the efficacy of psychodynamic treatment targeting depression for patients with comorbid narcissistic personality disorder.","authors":"Maisan Mansour, Yogev Kivity, Sigal Zilcha-Mano","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2738631","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2738631","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Major depressive disorder (MDD) frequently co-occurs with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Despite the clinical relevance of this comorbidity, little is known about the efficacy of short-term depression-focused treatments for individuals with comorbid NPD. This study examines whether individuals with comorbid MDD and NPD benefit from treatment and whether NPD diagnostic status changes during therapy.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>One hundred patients in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) were assessed for NPD (<i>n </i>= 14) using the Structured Interview for DSM-IV. Participants were randomly assigned to supportive therapy or supportive-expressive therapy. Depression severity was measured throughout therapy by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). Multilevel models were used to assess treatment efficacy and changes in NPD prevalence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients with comorbid MDD and NPD demonstrated significantly greater depressive symptom reduction than those without NPD. However, no significant changes were found in NPD diagnosis status across therapy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings challenge the assumptions that NPD is a negative prognostic factor for depression treatment. Rather, they suggest that short-term psychodynamic interventions may effectively reduce depressive symptoms for patients with comorbid NPD, highlighting the need for further research into treatment mechanisms and patient subtypes.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149128915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mapping negative experiences in psychotherapy: A network analysis.","authors":"Tudor Bobei, Christoph Flückiger, Ioana R Podina","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2743645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2743645","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Negative experiences in psychotherapy can undermine treatment outcomes, yet the interrelations among different facets of these experiences remain poorly understood. Using the Negative Effects Questionnaire (NEQ), this exploratory study examined the network structure of negative experiences in psychotherapy and identified the most central domains within this network.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>NEQ was assessed in a naturalistic sample of 439 adult outpatients who are or previously were in psychotherapy. A network analysis was conducted using a Gaussian graphical model to estimate associations between domains of negative experiences, with network comparison tests conducted to evaluate structural differences across exploratory subgroups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The network was characterized by a hub centered on hopelessness, linking it with symptom deterioration, negative self-evaluation and negative appraisals of the therapeutic process. Hopelessness emerged as the most central node, whereas care dependency and stigma showed comparatively low centrality. Subgroup analyses indicated that, despite some structural variations, the core cluster retained comparable connectivity across comparisons.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings suggest that hopelessness occupies a central position in the network of negative experiences, with direct associations to symptom deterioration, negative self-evaluation and dissatisfaction with treatment. Monitoring and addressing hopelessness alongside symptom change may be important for mitigating the constellation of unwanted therapy experiences.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149117058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An investigation of mental health inequalities related to race and ethnicity in psychological therapy services.","authors":"Saiqa Naz, David Saxon, Jaime Delgadillo","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2724939","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2724939","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Prior evidence suggests that people from racial/ethnic minority (REM) groups experience greater psychological distress, especially if they are isolated from their cultural ingroup. This study examined associations between REM status and psychological symptoms measured before and after therapy, as well as interactions with neighbourhood-level REM density.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Electronic health records from 130,857 patients who accessed psychological interventions in primary care services in England were analyzed. Pre- and post-treatment depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and functional impairment measures (WSAS) were linked to individual-level and neighbourhood-level demographic and socioeconomic data. Multilevel (mixed effect) models were used to examine associations between individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic variables with available measures of psychological distress.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Specific (rather than all) REM groups had higher indices of psychological distress, and there was little evidence of a moderating effect of neighbourhood ethnic density in the hypothesized direction. After controlling for socioeconomic variables, consistently higher indices of distress before and after therapy were evident for patients from White-other, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and \"Other\" backgrounds.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Mental health inequalities are evident for people from specific REM groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149117031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sibel Halfon, Melike Albayrak, Maide Körlü Bulut, Duru Eğrilmez, Edlin Gülzari, Kübra Arikan, Can J Büyükaşik, Leon Hoffman, Tatianna Kufferath-Lin, Tracy A Prout, Timothy Rice
{"title":"A randomized controlled trial of regulation-focused psychotherapy for children with externalizing disorders.","authors":"Sibel Halfon, Melike Albayrak, Maide Körlü Bulut, Duru Eğrilmez, Edlin Gülzari, Kübra Arikan, Can J Büyükaşik, Leon Hoffman, Tatianna Kufferath-Lin, Tracy A Prout, Timothy Rice","doi":"10.1080/10503307.2026.2738632","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2026.2738632","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study evaluated the efficacy of Regulation-Focused Psychotherapy for Children (RFP-C), a manualized time-limited psychodynamic treatment for externalizing disorders targeting implicit emotion regulation.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Eighty Turkish children (<i>M</i><sub>age</sub> = 8.53 years, 71.25% male) with externalizing disorders were randomized to RFP-C or an active control, a parenting and child social skills group (PSSG). Primary outcomes were externalizing and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) problems. Secondary outcomes were child-reported problems, global functioning, child and parent emotion regulation, and parenting stress. Assessments occurred at baseline, mid-treatment, post-treatment (primary endpoint), and 6-month follow-up.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>RFP-C was superior to PSSG in reducing broad externalizing problems at post-treatment with a small-to-moderate effect (<i>d</i> = -.47, 97.5% CI [-.87, -.07]). This effect attenuated (<i>d</i> = -.34, 97.5% CI [-.75, .06]) and was no longer significant at follow-up. No significant treatment effects emerged for ODD symptoms. RFP-C was also superior for child global functioning (<i>d</i> = .57, 95% CI [.30, .84]) and parenting stress (<i>d</i> = -.36, 95% CI [-.70, -.02]) at post-treatment, with the latter no longer significant at follow-up. No other between-group differences were significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>RFP-C showed superior effects in reducing broad externalizing problems at post-treatment; however, further research should clarify its effects on ODD symptoms and the durability of treatment gains.</p>","PeriodicalId":48159,"journal":{"name":"Psychotherapy Research","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149117023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}