[The Munich Attachment and Effectiveness Study: Study Design and a Case Example].

Objectives: The "Munich Attachment and Effectiveness Study" is a prospective psychotherapy study examining process and outcome of psychoanalytic psychotherapies. The study design and results are exemplified in a single case.

Methods: At 6 points in time audio-taped and transcribed therapy sessions are evaluated using process instruments (e. g. Psychotherapy Process Q-Set PQS) and interviews (e. g. Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnostics OPD, Heidelberg Structural Change Scale HSCS, Adult Attachment Interview AAI).

Results: In the single case, findings from the psychotherapeutic process (e. g. "therapist is empathic" according to PQS) complement the achieved changes. 5 HSCS problem foci reached level of "restructuring", on the Reflective Functioning Scale a marked change of RF took place and the attachment classification changed over time.

Conclusions: The instruments employed in this study corresponded well in assessing change processes in spite of differing theoretical background.