Similarities and Differences Between Practitioners of Psychotherapy in Sweden: A Comparison of Attitudes Between Psychodynamic, Cognitive, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Integrative Therapists

This study focuses on similarities and differences between Swedish psychotherapists of four orientations: psychodynamic, cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, and integrative therapy. The aim is to describe similarities and differences regarding (a) background factors, (b) focus in psychotherapy, (c) attitudes toward psychotherapy as art/craftsmanship, (d) scientific outlook, (e) what characterizes a good psychotherapist, and (J) how psychotherapy ought to be pursued. The therapists had very similar attitudes about the therapeutic relationship and rather similar attitudes about which effects psychotherapy ought to obtain. The greatest differences were related to psychotherapeutic techniques and science. The results are discussed with emphasis on the distance or proximity between the orientations. The conclusion is that there are differences between psychodynamic psychotherapy compared with cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies, which imply difficulties in integrating these orientations. However, the differences between the cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapists are not of such a magnitude that they necessarily present an obstacle to integration.