Inpatient Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy and Aftercare

A 3 month inpatient psychotherapy program has proved to be effective for patients with personality disorders, mainly cluster C and NOS and also higher functioning cluster B and even some cluster A patients. In this book a research project into 2 different formats of aftercare is presented: a reintegration training focused on work resumption and social functioning; and booster sessions with the same therapists and method as the inpatient program. The 2 formats were compared in a Randomised Clinical Trial, and contrary to the expectations the booster sessions performed better: more patients attended the aftercare sessions and more patients found a job. Patients with different cluster personality disorder cluster A,B,C or NOS showed a different course in improvement, but ended all at the same level of symptoms nearly in the normal range. The influence of psychological variables and the differences between successful, non-successful patients and dropouts are described. The overall conclusion is that this inpatient transactional analysis program is effective; the largest change is reached in the inpatient treatment, and this improvement is stabilized in the two years after the program.