Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42053145›Full record

ArticleResearch in psychotherapy (Milano)2026

In-session emotional experiencing in brief psychotherapy conducted by trainee psychologists: process, alliance, and the role of therapist persuasiveness.

Andreia Soares, Laura Ladislau, Ana Aleixo, João M Santos, Daniel Sousa

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Research in psychotherapy (Milano), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Andreia SoaresISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisbon.
Laura LadislauISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisbon.
Ana AleixoISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisbon.
João M SantosUniversity Institute of Lisbon.
Daniel SousaISPA - Instituto Universitário, Lisbon.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite the recognition of emotional experiencing as a key change factor in psychotherapy, gaps remain regarding how clinical training influences this dimension, particularly in brief interventions conducted by trainees, and preliminary process data on this phenomenon in Portuguese clinical training contexts are scarce. This study examined emotional experiencing in brief psychotherapy conducted by trainee psychologists undergoing structured experiential training with deliberate practice, analyzing whether patients show a progressive increase in experiential depth across sessions, whether higher levels of emotional experiencing are associated with stronger therapeutic alliance and greater symptom reduction, and whether therapists' persuasiveness predicts patients' emotional experiencing at different session moments. A quantitative repeated measures design was adopted with 5 trainee psychologists and 15 adult patients in a university clinic. Four sessions per patient were analyzed by three independent researchers using standardized measures: the Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45), the Working Alliance Inventory - Short Revised (WAI-SR), the Experiencing Scale (EXP), and the Therapist Persuasiveness Rating Scale (TPRS). Mixed linear models were then applied to assess longitudinal changes and relationships among variables. A significant reduction in psychological distress and an increase in therapeutic alliance indices, particularly in the tasks and bond dimensions, were observed. No significant changes were found in the depth of emotional experiencing, nor robust associations of this variable with symptom improvement or alliance, except for a marginal negative relationship between goal consensus and modal emotional experiencing. These findings suggest a stability of emotional experiencing in brief intervention contexts, highlighting the central role of collaborative processes in clinical change.

Indexed as

brief psychotherapyEmotional experiencingtherapeutic alliancetherapist persuasivenesstrainee psychologists

Identifiers

PMID42053145
PMCPMC13158735

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.