Schweigen in der videobasierten Psychotherapie Eine Pilotstudie.

Silence in video-based psychotherapy - a pilot-study Objectives: Silence is a relevant aspect of non-verbal interaction and the therapeutic relati- onship in psychodynamic psychotherapy. We examine how the altered interactional setting of video-based psychotherapy affects silence in the therapy process.

Methods: In an exploratory observational study of four short-term outpatient psychodyna- mic psychotherapies, four sessions at the beginning and in the middle of each therapy were conducted as video-based psychotherapy. The number of silent events, the mean duration of silence, and the quality of the therapeutic relationship were assessed and compared between video- and face-to-face sessions.

Results: No setting effects on the number of silent events were found. However, therapy dyads differed significantly in the number of silent events that occurred. For the video-based thera- py sessions, a higher mean duration of silence was found in the middle of therapy compared to the beginning of therapy. One therapy with a depressed patient had a particularly high number of silent events.

Conclusions: The effects of the video-based setting on silence are less pronounced than ex- pected. However, there are indications of a changed interactional situation in VBT. Silence appears to be an aspect of the interaction that is primarily dyad-specific and related to indivi- dual characteristics of the therapy process and the diagnosis.