Skip to main content

Qualitative Methods for the Analysis of Verbal Interactions in Psychotherapy

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Communication in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Abstract

In this chapter, we will discuss qualitative research methodology and qualitative research in general and present some examples of how different qualitative methods play a part in research on psychotherapy. Furthermore, we will discuss how one method—Conversation Analysis—can fruitfully be used to study verbal interactions in psychotherapy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Antaki, C., Barnes, R., & Leudar, I. (2004). Trouble in agreeing on a client’s problem in a cognitive-behavioural therapy session. Rivista di Psicolinguistica Applicata, 4, 127–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antaki, C., Barnes, R., & Leudar, I. (2005). Diagnostic formulations in psychotherapy. Discourse Studies, 7, 627–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bäckström, S., Wynn, R., & Sorlie, T. (2006). Coronary bypass surgery patients’ experiences with treatment and perioperative care – A qualitative interview-based study. Journal of Nursing Management, 14, 140–147.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baier, M. (1995). Uncertainty of illness for persons with schizophrenia. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 16, 201–212.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, R., & Moss, D. (2007). Communicating a feeling. Discourse Studies, 9, 123–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beach, W. A. (1995). Preserving and constraining options: “Okays” and “official” priorities in medical interviews. In G. H. Morris & R. J. Chenail (Eds.), The talk of the clinic (pp. 259–289). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergmann, J. (1992). Veiled morality: Notes on discretion in psychiatry. In P. Drew & J. Heritage (Eds.), Talk at work (pp. 137–162). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergvik, S. (1997). Communicative behavior in video mediated communication. A descriptive field study comparing video mediated and face-to-face communication on turn-taking, listener response and gestures in dyadic psychotherapy supervision. Thesis for the professional degree of psychology. Tromsø, Norway: University of Tromsø.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergvik, S., Sørlie, T. & Wynn, R. (2010). Approach and avoidance coping and regulatory focus in patients having coronary artery bypass surgery. Journal of Health Psychology, 15, 915–924.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, P. S., & Long, B. E. L. (1976). Doctors talking to patients. London: HMSO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drennan, G., & Swartz, L. (2002). The paradoxical use of interpreting in psychiatry. Social Science and Medicine, 54, 1853–1866.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drew, P., Chatwin, J., & Collins, S. (2001). Conversation analysis: A method for research into interactions between patients and healthcare professionals. Health Expectations, 4, 58–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drew, P., & Heritage, J. (1992). Analyzing talk at work: An introduction. In P. Drew & J. Heritage (Eds.), Talk at work: Interaction in institutional settings (pp. 3–65). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finset, A. (2008). Qualitative methods in communication and patient education research. Patient Education and Counseling, 73, 1–2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester, M., & Reason, D. (2006). Conversation analysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy research: Questions, issues, problems and challenges. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 20, 40–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankel, R. M. (1990). Talking in interviews: A dispreference for patient-initiated questions in physician–patient encounters. In G. Psathas (Ed.), Interaction competence (pp. 231–262). Washington, DC: University Press of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gammon, D., Sørlie, T., Bergvik, S., & Høifødt, T. S. (1998). Psychotherapy supervision conducted via videoconferencing. A qualitative study of user experiences. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 52, 411–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giacomini, M. K., & Cook, D. J. (2000a). User’s guide to the medical literature. XXIII. Qualitative research in health care A. Are the results of the study valid? Journal of the American Medical Association, 284, 357–362.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giacomini, M. K., & Cook, D. J. (2000b). User’s guide to the medical literature. XXIII. Qualitative research in health care B. What are the results and how do they help me care for my patients? Journal of the American Medical Association, 284, 478–482.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haakana, M. (2001). Laughter as a patient’s resource: Dealing with delicate aspects of medical interaction. Text, 21, 187–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heritage, J. (1984). Garfinkel and ethnomethodology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heritage, J. (1988). Explanations as accounts: A conversation analytic approach. In C. Antaki (Ed.), Analysing everyday explanation: A casebook of methods (pp. 127–144). London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heritage, J., & Maynard, D. (2006). Communication in medical care. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchby, I., & Drew, P. (1995). Conversation analysis. In J. Verschueren, J. O. Östman, & J. Blommaert (Eds.), Handbook of pragmatics (manual) (pp. 182–189). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchby, I., & Woofitt, R. (1998). Conversation analysis. Principles, practices and applications. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jefferson, G. (1984). On the organization of laughter in talk about troubles. In J. M. Atkinson & J. Heritage (Eds.), Structures of social action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, E. (1961). The life and work of Sigmund Freud. Oxford: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knox, S., & Burkard, A. W. (2009). Qualitative research interviews. Psychotherapy Research, 19(4–5), 566–575.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, U. S., Johanson, M., & Svärdsudd, K. (1994). Sensitive patient–doctor communications relating to the breasts and prostate. Journal of Cancer Education, 9, 19–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leudar, I., Antaki, C., & Barnes, R. K. (2006). When psychotherapists disclose personal information to their clients. Communication & Medicine, 3, 27–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Littauer, H., Sexton, H., & Wynn, R. (2005). Qualities patients wish for in their therapists. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 19, 28–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Little, P., Everitt, H., Williamson, I., Warner, G., Moore, M., Gould, C., et al. (2001). Observational study of effect of patient centeredness and positive approach on outcomes of general practice consultation. British Medical Journal, 323, 908–911.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Madill, A., Widdicombe, S., & Barkham, M. (2001). The potential of conversation analysis for psychotherapy research. Counseling Psychologist, 29, 413–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malterud, K. (2001a). The art and science of clinical knowledge: Evidence beyond measures and numbers. Lancet, 358, 397–400.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Malterud, K. (2001b). Qualitative research: Standards, challenges and guidelines. Lancet, 358, 483–488.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maynard, D. W. (1989). Notes on the delivery and reception of diagnostic news regarding mental disabilities. In D. Helm, A. J. M. Anderson, & A. Rawells (Eds.), The interactional order (pp. 54–67). New York: Irvington.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, R., Heath, C., Burns, T., & Priebe, S. (2002). Engagement of patients with psychosis in the consultation: Conversation analytic study. British Medical Journal, 325, 1148–1151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, R., Leudar, I., & Antaki, C. (2004). Do people with schizophrenia display theory of mind deficits in clinical interactions? Psychological Medicine, 34, 401–412.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, J. (2001). Qualitative research in counselling and psychotherapy. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messari, S., & Hallam, R. (2003). CBT for psychosis: A qualitative analysis of clients’ experiences. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 42, 171–188.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, D. (2000). Identifying delusional discourse: Issues of rationality, reality and power. Sociology of Health and Illness, 22, 661–678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton, M. Q. (1980). Qualitative evaluation methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peräkylä, A. (1995). Institutional interaction and clinical practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Peräkylä, A. (1997). Reliability and validity in research based on tapes and transcriptions. In D. Silverman (Ed.), Qualitative research (pp. 201–220). London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peräkylä, A. (2005). Patients’ responses to interpretations: A dialogue between conversation analysis and psychoanalytic theory. Communication & Medicine, 2, 163–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peräkylä, A., Antaki, C., Vehviläinen, S., & Leudar, I. (Eds.). (2008). Conversation analysis and psychotherapy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quirk, A., & Lelliot, P. (2001). What do we know about life on acute psychiatric wards in the UK? Social Science and Medicine, 53, 1565–1574.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roter, D. L., Hall, J. A., Kern, D. E., Barker, R., Cole, K. A., & Roca, R. P. (1995). Improving physicians’ interviewing skills and reducing patients’ emotional distress: A randomized clinical trial. Archives of Internal Medicine, 155, 1877–1884.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sacks, H., Schegloff, E., & Jefferson, G. (1974). A simplest systematics for the organisation of turn-taking in conversation. Language, 50, 696–735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze, B., & Angermeyer, M. C. (2003). Subjective experiences of stigma. Social Science and Medicine, 56, 299–312.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, D., & Peräkylä, A. (1990). AIDS counselling: The interactional organisation of talk about “delicate” issues. Sociology of Health and Illness, 12, 293–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, L. B., Auerbach, C. F., & Levant, R. F. (2006). Using qualitative research to strengthen clinical practice. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice, 37, 351–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. A. (Ed.). (2008). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sørlie, T., Gammon, D., Bergvik, S., & Sexton, H. (1999). Psychotherapy supervision face-to-face and by videoconferencing: A comparative study. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 15, 452–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ten Have, P. (1999). Doing conversation analysis: A practical guide. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells, S. (2003). Freud’s Rat Man and the case study: Genre in three keys. New Literary History, 34, 353–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, C. (1984). Routine complications. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • West, C., & Frankel, R. M. (1991). Miscommunication in medicine. In N. Coupland, H. Giles, & J. M. Wieman (Eds.), “Miscommunication” and problematic talk (pp. 166–194). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wynn, R. (1995). The linguistics of doctor–patient interaction. Oslo: Novus Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wynn, R. (1999). Provider–patient interaction. Kristiansand, Norway: Norwegian Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wynn, R. (2000). Incomprehensible language in psychiatric doctor-patient interaction. Published abstract. 7th International Pragmatics Conference, Budapest, July 9–14, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wynn, R., Bergvik, S., & Elvevåg, B. (2009a). Exaggerations in consultations between psychiatrists and patients suffering from psychotic disorders. Communication & Medicine, 6, 95–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wynn, R., Karlsen, K., Lorntzsen, B., Bjerke, T., & Bergvik, S. H. (2009b). Users’ and GPs causal attributions of illegal substance use: An explorative interview study. Patient Education and Counseling, 76, 227–232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wynn, R., Rimondini, M., & Bergvik, S. (2008). Mixed methods in the analysis of therapist-patient interaction. Presentation at the International Conference for Communication in Healthcare, Oslo, September 2–5, 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wynn, R., & Wynn, M. (2006). Empathy as an interactionally achieved phenomenon in psychiatric interactions. Some conversational resources. Journal of Pragmatics, 38, 1385–1397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rolf Wynn .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wynn, R., Bergvik, S. (2011). Qualitative Methods for the Analysis of Verbal Interactions in Psychotherapy. In: Rimondini, M. (eds) Communication in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6807-4_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics