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Interpersonal problems were studied in 121 patients treated with psychoanalytic therapy using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Four characteristic subtypes were identified, which differed in the quality and flexibility of their interpersonal behavior. Independent of the predominant type of interpersonal problems, the psychotherapy treatment led to strong decreases in interpersonal distress and increases in interpersonal differentiation. Psychoanalytic therapy was highly effective for all identified interpersonal subtypes and seems to help patients achieve more satisfactory relationships.

The efficacy of outpatient client-centered psychotherapy (CCP) for bulimia nervosa was investigated using guided self help (GSH) as comparison group. In the initial CCP-group ( N=29), 27,6% still met the diagnostic criteria at end of treatment and 34,5% at follow-up. In the completer sample ( N=25), 16% met the diagnostic criteria at end of treatment and 0% at follow-up; significant improvements in eating behaviour, comorbid and general psychopathology could be demonstrated which persisted over the follow-up period and which, in part, were significantly superior to the improvements in the GSH-group. As regards the diagnostic criteria, the CCP proved to be significantly more effective than the GSH for both the ITT and the completer samples. At follow-up, this group difference was present in the completer samples only. The results provide initial evidence for the efficacy of CCP in the outpatient treatment of women with bulimia nervosa.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the long-term effects of outpatient client-centered psychotherapy limited to 12 sessions on patients with adjustment disorder (ICD-10 F43.2). The patients in the follow-up study (n = 25) had been diagnosed to be suffering from an adjustment disorder in response to one of the following stressful events: the loss of an important person or a severe negative experience at work or university with lasting negative consequences. Two years after completion of treatment they were examined in regard to their levels of anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life by applying standardized measures. According to self-ratings lasting significant improvements in comparison to the initial symptom severity and no impairment in comparison to the results immediately after the end of the therapy could be observed. Subsequently the symptom decrease gained in the short-term therapy period is clearly maintained over the post-therapy period. Post-treatment gains after two years in the meaning of subsequent improvements - as often discovered in client-centered psychotherapies - could, however, not be demonstrated for patients with this type of disorder.

Earlier studies on attachment and substance use disorders using the Hazan and Shaver (1987) self-report mainly indicate a link with “avoidant” attachment styles. Studies working with the Adult Attachment Interview (Main & Goldwyn, 1998) have produced inconsistent results. The present study used the Bartholomew (1990) interview coding system to assess attachment in a sample of 71 German opiate using, drug dependent adolescents (DDAs, age 14 – 25) and 39 non-clinical controls. Fearful attachment was predominant in DDAs, while controls were predominantly secure. Severity of drug use, as assessed with the European Addiction Severity Index (Gsellhofer, Fahrner, & Platt, 1994) and urinalyses, was positively correlated with fearful attachment, but negatively correlated with dismissing attachment. The presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders was associated with fearful attachment but not with addiction severity.

This article provides an overview of developments and research on client-centered psychotherapy, beginning around the mid-1970s, within the German language region. Even then the efficacy and the effectiveness of CCT were considered established within the German research community. Considered here are mainly those studies that fulfill more stringent scientific standards. The results summarized concern diagnostics (development of measurement tools), the therapeutic process, and effects of CCT. After a slight decrease of research on CCT, an increase is observable now. The necessity of disorder-specific research involving CCT is emphasized here. Currently such studies represent only a minority of existing research.