Motivation for Therapy: an important ingredient to change?

Resumo

We analyse the levels of motivation for therapy, as well as explore if there are significant differences between the group of clients who drop-out from therapy and those who continue. Is there a relation between the different dimensions of motivation and the way the client perceive the therapeutic environment? 39 dyads of therapist and clients from Portugal participated. The Client motivation for therapy scale, adapted from Pelletier, Tucson and Haddad (1997) and the modified HCCQ from Williams, McGregor, King, Nelson and Glasgow (2005) were administered to the clients in 1^st, 3^rd, 5^th and 8^th session. Significant differences in the intrinsic motivation and amotivation dimension and no significant differences were found, between those who give up/continue psychotherapy (p>.05). Nevertheless it was found a positive significant correlation (r_s=.467) between the level of perception of the therapeutic environment and integrated motivation, as well as a negative correlation with amotivation (r_s=.521), that is to say, the better the perception of the therapeutic environment, more motivated they are for therapy.

Keywords: motivation, psychotherapy, clients, therapeutic environment