„Die passende Chemie wäre entscheidend … wenn man denn eine Wahl hätte“ – eine qualitative Studie zu Präferenzen von Therapiesuchenden einer ambulanten Psychotherapie

BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH QUESTION: One of the aims of the German psychotherapy structural reform in 2017 was to facilitate access to outpatient psychotherapy. One aspect of the evaluation of the reform was to illustrate the clients’ perspective regarding the search process. The study at hand focuses on the extent to which clients are able to include their preferences in the search process. METHODS: Clients were interviewed about their preferences prior to searching for outpatient psychotherapy (first date of survey = t1) and about their experiences 3 months later (second date of survey = t2). For this purpose, qualitative, guideline-based interviews were used. Within the framework of a structured content analysis, the transcripts were first categorized before generalizations were derived that depict the core statements of the interviews. RESULTS: A total of 83 interviews with 46 clients were conducted. More than half of them stated that they no longer prioritized initial preferences during the search in order to increase their chance of psychotherapy treatment. Before the search, the focus was on the “chemistry” between themselves and the therapist and after or during the search compatibility with everyday life, for example, was more decisive. DISCUSSION: The study demonstrates that there is a further need to simplify access to psychotherapy and to improve the basic care situation. To create good conditions for the therapy process and treatment outcomes, it would be necessary to enable clients to give consideration to their preferences.