Concept mapping of therapeutic common factors.

The cognitive structure used by 16 American Board of Professional Psychology-certified psychologists and 5 experienced psychotherapy researchers to delineate common factors of psychotherapy was examined using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. The results indicate that 2 dimensions-hot (feeling) versus cool (thinking) processing and therapeutic activity-and 3 clusters-bond, information, and role-are used in conceptualizing common factors. Results are discussed with respect to research and conceptualization of common factors.