| Description |
This mixed-methods study is a preliminary response to the shortage of empirical investigation into the combination of nonmanualized individual and group talk therapy in everyday outpatient mental health treatment. The current study addresses this shortage in two ways: (1) by exploring common patterns of co-utilizing individual and group psychotherapy services (i.e., combined treatment) in a naturalistic setting; and (2) by comparing the absolute and differential effectiveness of these service utilization patterns. Archival data included 508 combined treatment episodes collected between 1998 - 2012 at a college counseling center. A discussion group and interrater agreement analysis procedure suggests the presence of four discrete and identifiable combined treatment service utilization pattern categories: concurrent, intermittent, segmented, and semi- overlapping. Therapeutic outcomes were measured using the Outcome Questionnaire-45. Pre-post change and predicted recovery curves resemble previously published findings: specifically, that combined treatment demonstrates reliable absolute effectiveness. No particular combined treatment category outperformed the other identified combined treatment categories. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. |
