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Interaction patterns between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience and treatment objectives in Affect Phobia Therapy: Exploring dynamics at group- and subgroup-level.

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Title: Interaction patterns between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience and treatment objectives in Affect Phobia Therapy: Exploring dynamics at group- and subgroup-level.
Authors: Ferreira, Laura Inês (AUTHOR), Ribeiro, Eugénia (AUTHOR), Gates, Kathleen (AUTHOR), Janeiro, Luís (AUTHOR)
Source: Counselling Psychology Quarterly. Jun2026, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p225-250. 26p.
Subjects: Anxiety treatment, Scale analysis (Psychology), Self-evaluation, Psychodynamic psychotherapy, Research funding, Psychologists, Questionnaires, Emotions, Affective disorders, Treatment effectiveness, Time series analysis, Structural equation modeling, Descriptive statistics, Research, Intraclass correlation, Statistical reliability, Attitudes of medical personnel, Communication, Therapeutic alliance, Data analysis software, Affect (Psychology), Group process, Mental depression
Abstract: Objective: This is an exploratory study aiming to investigate the contemporaneous and lagged relationships between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience, and the focus on Affect Phobia Therapy objectives, a psychodynamic psychotherapy, while also examining their impact on treatment outcomes. Method: A total of seven dyads with successful treatments were included. Clients aged between 20 and 44 years (M = 29.14; SD = 8.43) rated their therapeutic alliance, emotional experience and symptoms after each session while therapists rated alliance and therapeutic interventions. Data were analyzed with Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation (GIMME), an analytical procedure to identify patterns in time-series data. Results: Only one link was identified at the group-level. The remaining interactions among process variables were divided into two distinct subgroups. In one subgroup, it was possible to identify links in line with theoretical expectations, revealing connections between relational and technical factors, whereas in the other, the connections predominantly focused on the therapist's perspective. Conclusions: Our results indicate that despite overall success, individuals may experience the same therapy differently, with only some processes aligning closely with the theoretical model. This variability seems linked to potential moderators like initial level of functioning, highlighting the need to thoroughly assess client characteristics to tailor treatments effectively. Practical implications: This study explores the intricate interplay between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience, and focus on psychodynamic objectives within Affect Phobia Therapy (APT), using an innovative dynamic systems approach (Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation). The research revealed distinct links within two subgroups, emphasizing the idiographic nature of therapeutic processes. This helps to better tailor the interventions considering the different dynamics of interrelationships between process variables and the specific characteristics of individual clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Counselling Psychology Quarterly is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Interaction patterns between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience and treatment objectives in Affect Phobia Therapy: Exploring dynamics at group- and subgroup-level.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ferreira%2C+Laura+Inês%22">Ferreira, Laura Inês</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ribeiro%2C+Eugénia%22">Ribeiro, Eugénia</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gates%2C+Kathleen%22">Gates, Kathleen</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Janeiro%2C+Luís%22">Janeiro, Luís</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Counselling+Psychology+Quarterly%22">Counselling Psychology Quarterly</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p225-250. 26p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety+treatment%22">Anxiety treatment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scale+analysis+%28Psychology%29%22">Scale analysis (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-evaluation%22">Self-evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychodynamic+psychotherapy%22">Psychodynamic psychotherapy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychologists%22">Psychologists</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Questionnaires%22">Questionnaires</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotions%22">Emotions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affective+disorders%22">Affective disorders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Treatment+effectiveness%22">Treatment effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Time+series+analysis%22">Time series analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Structural+equation+modeling%22">Structural equation modeling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research%22">Research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intraclass+correlation%22">Intraclass correlation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+reliability%22">Statistical reliability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitudes+of+medical+personnel%22">Attitudes of medical personnel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communication%22">Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Therapeutic+alliance%22">Therapeutic alliance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis+software%22">Data analysis software</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affect+%28Psychology%29%22">Affect (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Group+process%22">Group process</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+depression%22">Mental depression</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective: This is an exploratory study aiming to investigate the contemporaneous and lagged relationships between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience, and the focus on Affect Phobia Therapy objectives, a psychodynamic psychotherapy, while also examining their impact on treatment outcomes. Method: A total of seven dyads with successful treatments were included. Clients aged between 20 and 44 years (M = 29.14; SD = 8.43) rated their therapeutic alliance, emotional experience and symptoms after each session while therapists rated alliance and therapeutic interventions. Data were analyzed with Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation (GIMME), an analytical procedure to identify patterns in time-series data. Results: Only one link was identified at the group-level. The remaining interactions among process variables were divided into two distinct subgroups. In one subgroup, it was possible to identify links in line with theoretical expectations, revealing connections between relational and technical factors, whereas in the other, the connections predominantly focused on the therapist's perspective. Conclusions: Our results indicate that despite overall success, individuals may experience the same therapy differently, with only some processes aligning closely with the theoretical model. This variability seems linked to potential moderators like initial level of functioning, highlighting the need to thoroughly assess client characteristics to tailor treatments effectively. Practical implications: This study explores the intricate interplay between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience, and focus on psychodynamic objectives within Affect Phobia Therapy (APT), using an innovative dynamic systems approach (Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation). The research revealed distinct links within two subgroups, emphasizing the idiographic nature of therapeutic processes. This helps to better tailor the interventions considering the different dynamics of interrelationships between process variables and the specific characteristics of individual clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Counselling Psychology Quarterly is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/09515070.2025.2524432
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 26
        StartPage: 225
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety treatment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Scale analysis (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self-evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychodynamic psychotherapy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychologists
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Questionnaires
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Affective disorders
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Treatment effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Time series analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Structural equation modeling
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Intraclass correlation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Statistical reliability
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      – SubjectFull: Attitudes of medical personnel
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Therapeutic alliance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Affect (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Group process
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mental depression
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Interaction patterns between therapeutic alliance, emotional experience and treatment objectives in Affect Phobia Therapy: Exploring dynamics at group- and subgroup-level.
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            NameFull: Gates, Kathleen
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            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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