Common Factors, Responsiveness and Outcome in Psychotherapy

NCT ID: NCT05630560

Last Updated: 2022-11-29

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Total Enrollment: 1000 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-01-01
• Study Completion Date: 2024-07-01

Brief Summary

The "Common Factors, Responsiveness and Outcome of Psychotherapy" (CROP) study is a naturalistic observational study at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) carried out in cooperation with psychologists in the Danish practice sector or in private practice. The study aims to examine the contribution of client, therapist and treatment characteristics, as well as the role of therapists' responsiveness, on the process and outcome of psychotherapy. Participating psychologists and clients fill out background questionnaires prior to initiating therapy, and process data for each course of treatment is collected weekly and after each session while outcome data is collected at end of treatment and at three months follow-up. The psychologists are reimbursed DKK 1,000 per client that contributes to the study with at least three session questionnaires, which corresponds to the hourly salary of a psychologist in Danish private practice. All data is collected through an automated, online database to ensure appropriate anonymization and data management, and all participants give informed consent prior to participation. The CROP study has been approved by the UCPH's Department of Psychology's ethical review board and the Danish Data Protection Agency.

Detailed Description

The aim of the Common factors, Responsiveness and Outcome in Psychotherapy study (CROP) is to determine client and psychologist characteristics and therapeutic processes associated with the outcome of psychotherapy delivered by psychologists in the Danish practice sector or in private practice. The study addresses two main questions. First, how are specific characteristics of clients and psychologists related to the outcome of therapy and do these characteristics moderate the outcome of different psychotherapeutic approaches? Second, to what extent do therapists adapt their approach to client characteristics and preferences and how does such responsiveness impact the process and outcome of therapy? The results from the study are directly relevant to psychologists and will be disseminated nationwide during and after the end of the study.

The study is a naturalistic, observational study carried out in collaboration with psychologists in the Danish practice sector or in private practice. Self-report data is collected on the participating psychologists and their participating clients before psychotherapy, during psychotherapy (weekly and post-session) and after psychotherapy (at end of treatment and three months follow-up). The data is analyzed using multilevel modeling and structural equation modeling approaches.

The study design and data management procedure have been approved by the Research Ethics Board of the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, and the Danish Data Protection Agency. All data are fully anonymized and stored in agreement with the Danish Act on Processing of Personal Data. All parts of the study are based on the principles of informed consent and clients are informed that they can terminate their participation in the study at any time without consequences to their treatment. The findings of the study will be presented in articles in international, peer-reviewed journals as well as to psychotherapy practitioners across Denmark.

Conditions

Mental Health; Psychological Distress; General Psychotherapy

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: RETROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

Psychologists in Danish private practice

All psychologists with a Danish university degree in psychology who have registered themselves as seeing clients in private practice (app. 1,750) have been invited to participate in the study. Thus, the sample of psychologists consists of psychologists employed in the Danish practice sector, where clients obtain a refund of 60% of the psychologist's salary, as well as psychologists working privately without any reimbursement of their salaries. Each psychologist enrolled in the study has agreed to aim to recruit no less than 10 clients each for the study. We aim to include 100 psychologists, which will yield a sample of 1,000 clients beginning therapy.

Psychotherapy treatment

Intervention Type: OTHER

The psychotherapist will conduct psychotherapy as normally done by them in their practice. The treatment will thus be un-manualized and consist of a broad range of therapeutic orientations and treatment lengths.

Interventions

Psychotherapy treatment

The psychotherapist will conduct psychotherapy as normally done by them in their practice. The treatment will thus be un-manualized and consist of a broad range of therapeutic orientations and treatment lengths.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Above 18 of age and in individual psychotherapy

Exclusion Criteria

• severe psychoticism or other severe mental health issues.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Copenhagen

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

The Health Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

TRYG Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

the Danish Psychological Association

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

The Common Factors, Responsiveness and Outcome of Psychotherapy Study

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

University of Copenhagen

Copenhagen, , Denmark

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Denmark

Central Contacts

Stig Poulsen, Professor

Role: CONTACT

stig.poulsen@psy.ku.dk

+45 28 59 35 43

Celia Faye Jacobsen, PhD

Role: CONTACT

celia.jacobsen@psy.ku.dk

+45 22261168

Facility Contacts

Stig Poulsen, Professor

Role: primary

stig.poulsen@psy.ku.dk

+45 28 59 35 43

Rikke Agner, Coordinator

Role: backup

rikke.agner@psy.ku.dk

+ 45 35 32 48 88

References

Jacobsen CF, Igra L, Lunn S, Karstoft KI, Nielsen J, Lauritzen L, Falkenstrom F, Poulsen S. The association between therapist internal relational models, professional self-doubt, and coping strategies and the process and outcome of psychotherapy. Psychother Res. 2025 May 27:1-16. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2025.2506650. Online ahead of print.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 40424535 (View on PubMed)

Jacobsen CF, Falkenstrom F, Karstoft KI, Igra L, Lunn S, Nielsen J, Lauritzen L, Poulsen S. Exploring the matching effect: The association between preference accommodation, the working alliance, and outcome in psychotherapy. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2025 Jun;93(6):443-456. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000955.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 40388150 (View on PubMed)

Jacobsen CF, Falkenstrom F, Castonguay L, Nielsen J, Lunn S, Lauritzen L, Poulsen S. The relationship between attachment needs, earned secure therapeutic attachment and outcome in adult psychotherapy. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2024 Jul;92(7):410-421. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000900.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 39190445 (View on PubMed)

Faye Jacobsen C, Karstoft KI, Falkenstrom F, Nielsen J, Lunn S, Poulsen S. Client preferences, therapy activities and preference-activity match as predictors of therapy outcome. Psychother Res. 2025 Jun;35(5):777-792. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2024.2353358. Epub 2024 May 21.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 38771973 (View on PubMed)

Lauritzen LR, Faye Jacobsen C, Nielsen J, Lunn S, Mathiesen BB, Falkenstrom F, Poulsen S. Common factors, Responsiveness and Outcome in Psychotherapy (CROP): study protocol for a naturalistic prospective cohort study of psychotherapy in Denmark. BMJ Open. 2023 Jun 2;13(6):e072277. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072277.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 37270190 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

16-B-0269

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id