Editor's Introduction to Special Issue on Qualitative Psychotherapy Research: Definitions, Themes and Discoveries

Abstract

This paper introduces the Special Issue on Qualitative Psychotherapy Research, which marks the continuing growth and development of a wider range of sophisticated methods for qualitative data collection and analysis. Qualitative research is defined by more than simply using words instead of numbers to describe phenomena: Discovery, open research questions, flexible and evolving data description, and unexpected findings as a success condition are all important, as are the use of relevant methods for enhancing credibility. I present a thematic analysis and index of the key features of the eight studies included here, including similarities and differences among them. I conclude by noting some of the new understandings that have emerged from these studies, discoveries that illustrate the power and excitement of qualitative investigation of psychotherapy. Die Arbeti dient zur Einfuehrung in das Sonderheft ueber qualitative Psychotherapieforschung, welches das Anwachsen und die Entwicklung elaborierter Methode...