Date of Award:

5-1975

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Elwin C. Nielsen

Committee

Elwin C. Nielsen

Committee

Michael R. Bertoch

Committee

David R. Stone

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether different time arrangements for individual psychotherapy vary in effectiveness for the therapeutic process. The following time arrangements were compared against each other: Treatment I, 1/2 hour sessions twice per week; Treatment II, 1 hour sessions once per week; and Treatment III, 2 hour sessions every other week.

Twenty-one subjects and seven therapists were selected from six mental health facilities in Utah and Idaho for this project. All therapists participating had at least 2 years experience as psychotherapists. All subjects were randomly assigned to one of the three treatments. Each therapist received one subject for each of the three treatments under study, which spread therapist differences equally across treatments.

It was found that time arrangements, by themselves, have no effect upon outcome as measured by the D, Pt, and Sc scales of the MMPI, and a Therapeutic Progress Questionnaire which attempted to tap the subjects' evaluation of their therapeutic experience. When all subjects (Ss) were compared between pre- and posttesting, it was found that, overall, patients improved significantly (beyond the .01 level) as measured by the D and Sc scales of the MMPI. The Pt scale of the MMPI showed improvement beyond the .05 level of significance--thus, indicating that patients improved regardless of whether they were seen for 30 minute sessions, 1 hour sessions, or 2 hour sessions, when all subjects completed a total of 8 therapy hours before posttesting.

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