Patients’ General Versus Personal Expectations About Psychotherapy Change Processes

OBJECTIVE: People have different beliefs about what leads to therapeutic success; however, not much is known about differences between individuals' general change process expectations (CPEs) and the way those expectations operate during their own therapy experience (i.e., personal CPEs). The primary aim of this study was to examine these differences; a secondary aim was to evaluate whether a person's previous therapeutic experience and distress level moderate these differences. METHODS: Individuals currently engaged in psychotherapy (N=270) completed the Expectations of Active Processes in Psychotherapy Scale twice, first with reference to their general CPEs and then with reference to their own therapy. RESULTS: =0.020) significantly moderated this disparity, such that highly experienced and highly distressed individuals reported greater gaps (in the same direction) between their general and personal CPEs. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that patients, especially those with more severe problems, may require strong, personalized efforts to instill confidence in the therapeutic process.