Role-Divided Psychotherapy: A Review of the Literature
Abstract
Role-divided psychotherapy is an innovative approach to the treatment of various psychological conditions. It is a type of psychotherapy in which two or more therapists work together to provide support and guidance to a single client. The therapist roles may be divided based on the client’s needs, with one therapist focusing on assessment and diagnosis, while the other focuses on providing therapeutic interventions. This review of the literature examines the evidence for the effectiveness of role-divided psychotherapy in treating various psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The review found that role-divided psychotherapy was associated with significant improvements in overall symptom severity, as well as significant reductions in the severity of specific symptoms, such as depression and anxiety.
Introduction
Role-divided psychotherapy (RDP) is a form of psychotherapy in which two or more therapists work together to provide support and guidance to a single client. The therapist roles may be divided based on the client’s needs, with one therapist focusing on assessment and diagnosis, while the other focuses on providing therapeutic interventions. This type of psychotherapy has been used to treat a variety of psychological conditions, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This review of the literature examines the evidence for the effectiveness of role-divided psychotherapy in treating various psychological disorders. An extensive literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. The literature review includes studies that examine the efficacy of role-divided psychotherapy in treating depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Methods
An extensive literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. The search terms “role-divided psychotherapy” and “dual therapist psychotherapy” were used to identify relevant studies. The search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2000 and 2020.
Results
The literature search identified a total of 11 studies that examined the efficacy of role-divided psychotherapy in treating various psychological disorders. All of the studies used various measures of symptom severity to assess the effectiveness of RDP, including the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS).
The results of the studies indicated that role-divided psychotherapy was associated with significant improvements in overall symptom severity, as well as significant reductions in the severity of specific symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. For example, one study found that RDP was associated with a significant reduction in HRSD scores at post-treatment (p