About

In the psychotherapy research lab in the department of psychology in the University of Haifa we are especially curious regarding what happens in the therapy room and what makes therapy successful. What causes one therapy to succeed and prosper and the other to lead to poor outcome and dropout? What do the therapist and patient bring with them into therapy and what do they do throughout treatment in order to lead to better outcome? In addition, how much do these actions and their effect change from one patient and therapist dyad to the other?

Current Research       

We examine a wide range of variables that characterize the patient, the therapist and the fit between them and how these characteristics affect the treatment process and its outcome. We explore how the within- and between-patients characteristics, the within- and between-therapists characteristics and the goodness of fit between these characteristics, predict the therapeutic process and its outcome. In addition, we examine the therapeutic alliance which develops between patient and therapist and its role in different treatments, when does it enable for therapeutic processes to occur (such as the use of competent therapeutic techniques) and when does it serve as a corrective experience that is therapeutic in itself. We also examine the factors that affect the ability of the therapist to use therapeutic techniques in an adherent and competent manner and the factors that affect the ability of the use of competent techniques to predict the treatment process and its outcome.

We believe in the integration of research and treatment. From clinical experience we raise questions, hypotheses and ideas for further research, and from research we seek to promote therapeutic knowledge that can be used by the therapist and contribute to treatment.