Legally recognized psychotherapy methods in Austria – effect factors, indications, setting specific aspects

Research area: Psychological & psychiatric interventions

Duration: April 2017 – November 2017
Topic submitted by: Main Association of the Austrian Social Security Institutions
Publication: LBI-HTA Project report No. 94: https://eprints.aihta.at/1143/

Language: German

Background:
Psychotherapy is the generic term for all forms of treatment of disorders, illnesses and suffering, with psychological resources and without pharmacotherapeutic or surgical methods.[i] The aim of psychotherapy is to reduce or cure mental suffering and behavioural disorders. A collaboration between clients and psychotherapists is essential, in order to enable a successful psychotherapy. In addition, psychotherapy is characterized by a multitude of effective factors, which can have a positive effect on the success of the therapy.

On 01.01.1991, the Federal Law on the Practice of Psychotherapy, BGBl. Nr. 361/1990, was passed. Since then, psychotherapeutic professional activity has been defined by law in Austria. Currently, 23 psychotherapies (psychotherapeutic methods) are legally recognized in Austria. These methods are certified by the Federal Ministry of Health and Women and approved in accordance with the Psychotherapy Law of 1990.[ii]

The 23 psychotherapeutic methods can be organised in one of the following four basic modalities:

1) depth psychological-psychodynamic orientation
2) humanistic-existential orientation
3) systemic orientation
4) behavioural orientation

Aim of the project:
The aim of the project is to provide an overview of the 23 psychotherapy methods recognized by the Austrian law on the basis of their most important characteristics, e.g. target groups (children, adults), setting-specific factors (e.g., single, grouping), as well as specific and generic (general) effect factors.

Research questions:

1) Are there specific indications or rather disorder conditions, illnesses and conditions of suffering attributable to individual psychotherapy methods?

2) Do the individual psychotherapeutic methods have different (specific) effective factors and / or which generic factors are mentioned in the literature?

3) Which effective factors of the individual methods are relevant for which indication(s) / population?

Methods:
The questions will be answered using the following methodology:

Systematic manual search in databases (e.g., PsycINFO & PSYNDEX), as well as in textbooks:

1) for national (and international) definitions (treatment methods, indications and fields of work [disorder conditions, illnesses and conditions of suffering], effective factors, target groups [e.g., children & adolescents, adults, psychotherapy in old age]) of the 23 psychotherapy methods
2) with regard to effective factors (specific / generic), as well as for 1-2 key publications

Complementary manual search on websites of national and international professional societies / psychotherapeutic professional associations / training places (BMGF; ÖBVP; DUK; SFU, KBV, EAP etc.)

Systematic evaluation of the sources

Extraction of the characteristics of the 23 psychotherapy methods, e.g.:

• indications and fields of work (disorder conditions, illnesses and conditions of suffering),
• target groups (e.g., children & adolescents, adults, psychotherapy in old age),
• setting-specific factors (e.g., single, grouping),
• and specific and generic effective factors;
   --> tabular preparation

NOT content of the project is

• the preparation of systematic evidence analyses on the efficacy of each psychotherapy method for individual indications (effectiveness of each individual therapy method)

Timetable / milestones:

April – May	Scoping, preparation of the project record
May – June	Web search, literature search, preparation of extraction tables
June – September	Data extraction, writing of the project report
October	Internal and external review
November	Finalizing, publication of the project report