Maarit Lejon, Siru Vieno, Virpi-Liisa Kykyri & Juha Holma

Ways of giving psychological assessment feedback and interaction in feedback conversations

The aim of this conversation analytical study was to examine how the way psychologists give psychological assessment feedback is connected to the interaction between psychologist and client during the feedback conversation and the role of the client. The data comprised two videotaped feedback conversations with two different psychologists. The results showed that the psychologists gave feedback in three different ways: one-sided, inviting with direct and indirect questions and linking feedback to what the client had previously said. The content of the feedback determined the type of feedback used by the psychologists. One-sided feedback was used to impart positive news regarding the client’s cognitive skills and to summarize previously expressed feedback. The psychologists invited the client to participate in the feedback conversation when reporting assessment findings relative to personality. The psychologists linked feedback to what the client had previously said when reporting negative news about the client’s cognitive abilities. The psychologists had more control over the flow of conversation than the clients but the client made initiatives and gave answers contrary to expectations.

Keywords: institutional interaction, conversation analysis, psychological assessment feedback

Jaana Lilja

How is psychotherapy constructed in practice? The theory-in-use of psychotherapy as expressed in the spontaneous thinking of one therapist

This study concerned the meanings given by one integrative psychotherapist to the practice of psychotherapy and her implicit theory-in-use as expressed in her spontaneous thinking concerning the casework in sessions. The methodological approach used was autoethnography and the psychotherapist was in the dual role of researcher and participant. The research data consisted of free-form short texts, which the therapist had written immediately after the therapy session. The data was analyzed using category analysis. In the re-constructed theory-in-use of the participant, psychotherapy was seen as a process where the therapist at the same time reflected the client’s problems, collected evidence for herself, settled in a relationship with the client and evaluated the results of psychotherapy. The implicit categorization used by the therapist-participant was viewed as a meta-theoretical approach to and a common factor element of psychotherapy.

Keywords: psychotherapy, theory-in-use, common factors, autoethnography, category analysis, therapists’ spontaneous thinking

Katarina Alanko, Jenni Häikiö, Sarah Jahnke & Pekka Santtila

Clients with pedophilic interests: A survey of health care professionals’ experiences and readiness to treat these clients

Introduction: We know little about the attitudes and knowledge that health care professionals hold towards clients with pedophilic interests. The purpose of the present study was to map Finnish health care professionals’ attitudes and knowledge about this group of clients.

Method and results: 352 participants completed the 15-minute long internet survey. The participants were mainly psychologists, medical doctors, psychotherapists and nurses. Results indicated that about 20 % of the respondents had treated a client with pedophilic sexual interests. Of the respondents 23 % indicated a good or sufficient current knowledge of treatment possibilities, whereas most respondents felt that their education had not provided them with sufficient knowledge.

Conclusion: Health care professionals need more up-to-date information about the treatment of clients with pedophilic interests. Furthermore, there are no systematic health care services directed to this group of clients.

Keywords: health care professionals, attitudes, knowledge, clients sexually interested in children