Cognitive behaviour therapy may fail if the client believes their therapist is responsible for the outcome. This is the finding of a study published today (11 August 2008) in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology.
This study looked at the success rate of group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for 49 individuals suffering from social anxiety disorder, and compared this to each patient’s expectancies about the therapy.
The study found that those patients who felt that they were responsible for making progress were more likely to feel the continued benefits of therapy at three-month follow-up than those patients who expected their therapist, or chance factors, to produce the improvement.
Lead researcher, Aba Delsignore from Zurich University Hospital, said: ‘During therapy, most of the patients felt the benefits of CBT and made substantial gains, however individuals’ longer term progress varied after therapy had come to an end.
‘Our study suggests that patients’ long-term outcome depends on an individual’s expectancies. Patients who feel that the responsibility for the success of their treatment lies with them may make more gains than those who believe their therapist is responsible.
‘This may be because once the regular support of the CBT group ends, self regulation becomes essential if patients are to continue to make progress, so people who take responsibility for their own progress are more likely to reach their goals over the long term.’
This effect was also mediated by how engaged patients were with the therapy process. Low expectations towards the therapist predicted that the patient would be more actively engaged in therapy sessions, leading to a more positive outcome.
‘For CBT to be as effective as possible the importance of the role of the therapist should be minimized and patients should be encouraged to fully engage, and feel a level of responsibility for the results of the therapy,’ Aba Delsignore concludes.
