Therapists' outcome expectations influence the psychotherapy process and outcomes, but little is known about the factors influencing their development. This study explored therapists' experiences with establishing outcome expectations for their patients. The participants were 35 therapists from a public mental health setting, who were interviewed in five different focus groups. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes and 10 subthemes were identified. In Theme 1 (understanding the problem), participants' expectations were influenced by (a) their patients' diagnoses and the diagnostic process, (b) their perceptions of the complexity of the presenting problem, (c) how stable the patients' symptoms and situations were, and (d) whether they experienced familiarity with the patient or the patients' situation. In Theme 2 (the patient's openness to change), participants' expectations were influenced by (a) the patient's stated reason for seeking treatment, (b) the patient's conceptualization of their problem/situation, and (c) their perception of the patient's willingness to invest in the treatment. In Theme 3 (the fit between the therapist and patient), the participants discussed the factors that influenced whether they felt they were a good fit for working with an individual patient and how this perception of personal and professional fit influenced their expectations. We identify several ways that therapists' situational factors and their recognition of the patient through their own past experiences can influence their expectations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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心理治疗师的结果期望：它们是如何建立的？


治疗师对结果的期望会影响心理治疗过程和结果，但对影响其发展的因素知之甚少。本研究探讨了治疗师为患者建立结果期望的经验。参与者是来自公共心理健康机构的 35 名治疗师，他们在五个不同的焦点小组中接受了采访。使用主题分析对访谈进行转录和分析。确定了 3 个主题和 10 个子主题。在主题 1（理解问题）中，参与者的期望受到 （a） 患者的诊断和诊断过程的影响，（b） 他们对当前问题复杂性的看法，（c） 患者的症状和情况的稳定性，以及 （d） 他们是否熟悉患者或患者的情况。在主题 2（患者对变化的开放性）中，参与者的期望受到以下因素的影响：（a） 患者陈述的寻求治疗的原因，（b） 患者对他们的问题/情况的概念化，以及 （c） 他们对患者愿意投资治疗的看法。在主题 3（治疗师和患者之间的契合度）中，参与者讨论了影响他们是否认为自己适合与个体患者合作的因素，以及这种对个人和职业契合度的看法如何影响他们的期望。我们确定了治疗师的情境因素以及他们通过自己过去的经历对患者的认可可以影响他们期望的几种方式。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 （c） 2024 APA，保留所有权利）。