PSYCHOTHERAPY INTEGRATION AS PRACTICED BY EXPERTS

Twenty-four psychotherapists who were experts in psychotherapy integration and had a mean of 32 years of clinical experience completed a questionnaire assessing their practice history and fidelity to various psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, and family systems theories. They then completed the 100-item Psychotherapy Process Q set ( Jones, Hall, & Parke, 1991 ) modified to be a self-report questionnaire, based on a client they had treated using integrative therapy. Most therapists reported some influence of all 4 orientations, but almost three-quarters indicated that only 1 was a salient influence. Principal components factor analysis revealed 4 factors representing 4 integrative practice styles, which were then correlated with prior prototypes of cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and interpersonal therapies. The first factor, accounting for just over half the variance, most resembled cognitive-behavioral therapy. The second factor shared elements of several orientations, whereas the third factor most resembled psychodynamic therapy. The responses of more than half the therapists loaded on more than 1 factor. Findings demonstrate a diversity of theoretical influences and practices among these experts.