Drop-out in the systemic therapy from the family's perspective

Abstract

Aim of the study: The problem of premature ending of therapy is a common phenomenon and is taken under consideration as closely related to effectiveness of therapy. The crucial aim of presented study was to investigate how members of a family interpret this phenomenon. Subject and methods: The research was based on interviews with drop-out clients who had participated in systematic couple therapy. The qualitative data was analyzed using the four stages methodology of grounded theory. The program used to code the data was Weft QDA. Results: The result pointed out, that drop-out from therapy is a procesual phenomenon and is connected with: a context of application, a kind of relationship between partners, an assessment of therapy. It was confirmed in the research group that the level of satisfaction from effects of therapy was related to premature termination. Discussion: The research indicated how consequences of drop-out can affect the family system. Conclusions: The high frequency of positive emotions and opinions occurring in drop-out context shows that drop-out phenomenon should not be considered only as a therapeutic failure