Therapists' Attitudes Toward Short-Term Therapy

ABSTRACT

In order to evaluate the impact of training on attitudes and values regarding time-limited therapy, an attitudes instrument (The Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Therapy Questionnaire (BAT-Q)) was administered to 167 experienced therapists before and following workshops on brief therapy techniques. Data analysis of the results of the pre- and post-training administrations indicated that, following training, clinicians were typically more positively disposed towards time-limited therapy. The most significant changes occurred in attitudes regarding the purpose of psychotherapy in general and the value of brief techniques in the treatment of serious long standing psychopathology. Such attitude and value changes are critical in helping therapists make the transition from time-unlimited to time-limited interventions.