Attempts to determine whether a maladaptive attitude, frequently observed in therapy clients, could be altered by the use of a counter-attitudinal message. The attitude at which this counter-attitudinal technique is directed is that of low self-esteem. (Author/RK)

Discusses methods used to settle the emotional debt of love and nurturance withheld by the parent and owed to the child. The child, as an adult in a therapy setting, is responsible for the resolution of the conflict created by the parent-child relationship. (Author/ABB)

Examined the effectiveness of a new orientation program designed to prepare low-income White and ethnic minority outpatients (N=173) for psychotherapy. Results indicated that patients who were oriented were more knowledgeable about psychotherapy and more positive in their attitudes toward psychotherapy than were patients who had not been oriented.…

Surveyed clinical psychology graduate students (N=17) to determine their perceptions of evaluation criteria and to compare these perceptions with criteria actually used. Results showed that 77 percent of the students either did not know the evaluation criteria or thought the evaluation was based on professors' personal biases. (LLL)

Explored the relationship between therapist-client compatibility, sex of therapist, and psychotherapeutic outcome. Results suggested the sex of therapist did not have a significant differential effect. There was no consistent effect between dyadic compatibility and sex of therapist. Differences in therapeutic outcome across levels of compatibility…

Examined relationships between sex-role identification and Type A behavior. Type A behavior correlated significantly with the masculinity and femininity scales of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory but the scales themselves were statistically independent. Suggests identification with masculine but not feminine traits, while perhaps conducive to…

Explores the possibility of separating psychotherapists' judgments of treatment outcome from their affective reactions to their patients. If therapists' judgments of symptom remission cannot be utilized independently of their affection for their patients, this would present reason to doubt the utility of such judgments despite their current…

The purpose of this research was to see which specific techniques Albert Ellis, the founder of the school of therapy known as Rational Emotive Therapy, uses during an initial therapy session and also to see what percentage of time each technique was utilized. (Author)

Investigates the feasibility of an alternative scoring procedure for the Semantic Differential (SD) that would permit easier analysis by psychotherapists so that the SD's use might increase as a measure of therapy process or outcome. (Author/RK)

Investigated stimulus context (therapy session versus therapy description) and stimulus medium (audiovisual versus written) in preferences for the behavioral and person-centered orientations. Behavioral orientation was preferred when both orientations were presented audiovisually as a therapy session. Conversely, the person-centered orientation…

Examined the health behaviors practiced by psychotherapists (N=86) themselves and the extent to which they focus on these behaviors with their clients. Results indicated that psychotherapists actively evaluate and make recommendations to their clients in the areas of diet, physical exercise, and relaxation practice. (JAC)

Examined the effect of high therapist disclosure on the willingness to disclose of high and low need for approval subjects (N=68), who listened to a recorded client-therapist interview. Results confirmed that subjects with a high need for approval expressed more willingness to disclose in the clear expectation condition. (Author/JAC)

Investigated the effects of fee payment sources on the duration of psychotherapy for 160 outpatients. Univariate results indicated that scaled fee patients had significantly more sessions than those whose fee was paid by Medicaid. Multivariate results, however, indicated that education and sex accounted for most of the variance in treatment…

Examined the relationship between clarity of imagery and depression reduction. Depressed college females (N=30) were assigned to no treatment, a positive imagery group, or a positive imagery group who elaborated on their daydreams. Analysis found no significant treatment effect, but vividness of imagery correlated significantly with depression…