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Biomedical subjects

R Krawitz

Publications and source records attributed to R Krawitz.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

A prospective psychotherapy outcome study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of 31 patients treated in a day and semi-residential psychotherapy setting. METHOD: Patients had moderate to severe personality difficulties and were referred when current therapy was insufficient or because of the severity of their problems. Eighty-one percent had a Cluster C and 19% a Cluster B (Borderline) Personality Disorder diagnosis (DSM-III-R). Therapy was psychodynamically and feministin-formed and included a sociopolitical dimension. Rating scales used were the Symptom Checklist 90, Goal Attainment Scale, Global Assessment Scale and measures of health resource usage, which were completed pre-treatment, post-treatment and at 4-, 12- and 24-month follow-up. RESULTS: Mean duration of therapy was 4 months (68 therapy days). All clinical rating scales demonstrated marked improvements following treatment (p < 0.0001) which were sustained at 2-year follow-up. There were also improvements of health resource usage. CONCLUSIONS: The results document the clinical efficacy of psychotherapy in this setting, provide support for the philosophy of practice, and suggest that psychotherapy outcome can be evaluated at reasonable financial cost in many settings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Gender, race and poverty: bringing the sociopolitical into psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the modification of traditional psychotherapy to provide a more relevant service for non-dominant groups including women, Maori and the poor. METHOD: The philosophy and practice of a psychotherapy service that made overt sociopolitical issues for women, Maori and the poor was analysed and linked with literature on psychotherapy for non-dominant groups. RESULTS: Traditional psychotherapy, with its focus on the intrapsychic, has not addressed the condition of marginalised groups such as the poor, ethnic minorities including Maori, and some women, whose mental health difficulties have major contributions from external sources. The service analysed, and much of the literature, used social analysis as a therapeutic tool to break the cycle of self-blame and doubt and to contextualise intrapsychic experience. As non-dominant groups lack power, power differences in the therapy relationship should be lessened to avoid retraumatising the patient. CONCLUSION: It is possible for psychotherapy to broaden its traditional base to include a sociopolitical viewpoint. This would make it more available and meaningful to a wider range of people, especially those with the double disadvantage of adverse intrapsychic and sociopolitical factors.

Adult↗