Relationship and technique in the long-term integrative psychotherapy of schizophrenia: A single case study

Abstract

It has been asserted that an integrative psychotherapy can promote recovery from schizophrenia by helping clients develop and evolve a richer personal narrative of their challenges and abilities. Yet it is unclear what techniques such a therapy might employ, and how those techniques are related to the developing therapeutic relationship. To address these questions we have conducted blind qualitative and quantitative assessments of transcripts of an integrative psychotherapy over 22 months. Analyses suggest that over time the client evolved a more coherent account of his challenges and abilities, and experienced significant psychosocial improvements. The therapeutic alliance was observed to build slowly, with minimal intervention and care on the part of the therapist not to tell the story for the client. As the relationship grew stronger, the client began rapidly developing the narrative of his life, allowing for the introduction of greater levels of confrontation to enhance further the coherence and richness of that narrative.

Keywords:

• Narrative
• schizophrenia
• self
• recovery
• psychotherapy
• therapeutic relationship