The DOI matches its Crossref record; 96 of the 96 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Negative outcome in psychotherapy: A critical review.
Abstract
This article reviews literature on negative outcome in psychotherapy for adult, non-psychotic individuals. Patient, therapist, and therapy variables are examined, and tentative conclusions are drawn from the existing data. Patients who are borderline or obsessive-compulsive, have severe interpersonal difficulties, are poorly motivated, or who expect psychotherapy to be painless have been found to be at risk for deterioration. On the part of the therapist, lack of empathy, underestimation of the severity of the patient's problems, negative counter transference, poor technique, high concentrations of transference interpretations, and disagreement with the patient about the therapy process all have been associated with negative outcome. Cestalt therapies have produced higher rates of deterioration than other psychotherapy modalities. Issues in research methodology are discussed, including identification of negative responders, outcome measurement, identification of variables related to negative outcome, and the role that ethical dilemmas play in research.
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“For example, people with borderline personality disorders may be at increased risk of negative outcomes from psychological therapy [25]”
From The recording of adverse events from psychological treatments in clinical trials: evidence from a review of NIHR-funded trials (2014) · cites this paper as [25]
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2 retracted
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Items 301–330 of 330
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Strauss, B. M. (2013) · DNP - Der Neurologe und Psychiater · doi:10.1007/s15202-013-0427-9
Reflexões acerca do potencial iatrogênico das psicoterapias no campo da Saúde Mental
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Potencial iatrogênico da psicanálise
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Der Elefant auf der Couch: Argumentationsweisen im Diskurs um die Nebenwirkungen von Psychotherapie
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Stagnation in Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Approach
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Nonresponse und Misserfolge in der stationären Psychotherapie
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Психотерапія у постнекласичній парадигмі : посібник
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(2018) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781394258963.refs
Versterken en trainen van emotieregulatie: wat zegt het onderzoek?
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Adverse Effects of Psychotherapy
Леонидовна, С. С. (2025) · Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy · doi:10.17759/cpp.2025330202
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Psychotherapeutische Kompetenzen
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Unintended Consequences: A Study on the Adverse Effects of Psychological Counselling
Kansara, P. H. (2025) · Vidhyayana · doi:10.58213/2erm6f09
Mapping negative experiences in psychotherapy: A network analysis
Bobei, T., Flückiger, C., & Podina, I. R. (2026) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503307.2026.2743645
Skuteczność interwencji psychoterapii poznawczo-behawioralnej w leczeniu schizofrenii
Cyrkot, T., & Szczepanowski, R. (2019) · Modern Nursing and Public Health · doi:10.82051/mnph-2019-1181
Metadata
- Authors
- Mohr, D. C.
- Affiliations
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mohr, David C.
- ORCID
- Mohr, David C.
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice
- Published
- 1995
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-27
- ISSN
- 0969-5893 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2850
- OpenAlex
- W2070633071
- Cited by
- 330
- References
- 93
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 6.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Clinical Psychology Science and Practice (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Counseling Practices and Supervision
- Keywords
- treatment discontinuation, therapist empathy, countertransference, transference, patient motivation, borderline personality, obsessive-compulsive disorder, interpersonal problems, cognitive behavioral therapy, outcome measurement, research ethics
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