Unraveling the optimal balance of problem-related affective experiences and need satisfaction in cognitive-behavioral therapy: A response surface analysis

<b>Objective:</b> Although therapists are encouraged to balance emotionally involving work on the patient's problems with need satisfaction in therapy sessions, effects of this balance have rarely been studied empirically. Hence, we examined congruence effects between problem-related affective and need-satisfying experiences in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). <b>Method</b>: 165 distressed family caregivers rated problem-related affective experiences, need-satisfying experiences comprising self-esteem, positive interpersonal, and control experiences, as well as coping experiences after 12 CBT sessions. We examined within-person congruence effects of problem-related affective and need-satisfying experiences on subsequent coping in multilevel response surface analysis. Further, we included between-person problem-related affective and need-satisfying experiences and pretreatment depression and anxiety as moderators of within-person effects. <b>Results</b>: A slight predominance of self-esteem over problem-related affective experiences as well as exact correspondence between problem-related affective and both interpersonal and control experiences was most predictive of coping. Between-person moderators supported a cross-level balance heuristic of problem-related affective and self-esteem experiences. Finally, a stronger emphasis on self-esteem and interpersonal over problem-related affective experiences proved more beneficial for patients with high anxiety and low depression. <b>Conclusions</b>: The findings highlight the importance of balancing problem-related affective and need-satisfying experiences in CBT and provide insights into how balancing may be tailored to specific patients.