Abstract

BRITTO, Ilma A. Goulart de Souza; OLIVEIRA, Jocineyla Alves de  and  SOUSA, Lorena Franciley Dias de. The therapeutic relationship evidenced through direct observation method. Rev. bras. ter. comport. cogn. [online]. 2003, vol.5, n.2, pp. 139-149. ISSN 1517-5545.

This study had the objective of observing the relationship between spoken and non-spoken behaviors of a patient and a trainee-therapist realized at a school clinic of psychology. For such it was used the method of direct and measured observation of the behavior in the behavior-clinical context. The participants were a two-people relationship composed by a trainee-therapist and a patient, being this, a female, married, with the psychiatric diagnosis of the Panic Disorder. The sessions were recorded in VHS ribbons. Out of this material, were analyzed the 15 initial minutes of each session, at 30 second intervals, in a total of 330 intervals. From this relation 22 behavior-categories were analyzed, being eight descriptive categories of verbal reports of corporal sensations as Fear of Dying, Palpitations, Transpiration reported by the patient; six categories of non verbal repetitive behaviors such as Closed Fists to the Height of the Chest, to Support the Head in the Hands; five categories of the patient’s non verbal response such as Looking Fixedly for the Therapist, to Smile While the Therapist Speaks, to Nod the Head Affirmatively While the Therapist Speaks and three categories of the therapist’s verbal behavior such as Asking the Antecedents, to Comment Consequent, to Reinforce the Patient. The results indicated that the behavior categories of the corporal sensations had larger frequency in the first sessions, in the same way, the categories of non-verbal repetitive behaviors. On the other hand, the categories of the therapist and patient’s relationship, have occurred on both participants frequently during all the observed sessions. The data were discussed in terms of the applied methodology

Keywords : Direct and measured observation of the behavior; Therapeutic relationship; Behavior categories.

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