Psychotherapy Process Dynamics and Their Relation to Treatment Success Do Not Differ Across Diagnoses.
Clinical psychology & psychotherapy January 1, 2026 Lennart Seizer, Leonhard Kratzer, Johanna Löchner et al. 1 citation
Psychiatric inpatients with depression, PTSD, dissociative disorders, or personality disorders completed a therapy process questionnaire each evening for an average of 81.5 days. Eight dynamic process characteristics—such as variability, autocorrelation, instability, and complexity—were computed for each patient. No significant differences in these characteristics or their change over time were found across diagnostic groups, suggesting that individual within-person patterns overshadow diagnostic distinctions. Clinical improvement was linked to rising average levels and declining variability in positive emotions, mindfulness, insight, and motivation, and these predictions were not moderated by diagnosis. The findings support a transdiagnostic approach to measurement-based care that uses individual process characteristics to guide interventions.