Psychiatric brief psychotherapy PKP of depression in combined group and single-therapy for psychiatric departments - Looking back on 14 years PKP-Practice in hospital

As the length of stay of depressive patients in acute psychiatric inpatient treatment is usually only six weeks and individual treatments are not feasible for staffing reasons, it is necessary to use structured short-term treatments in a group setting on the hospital ward. Psychiatric Brief Psychotherapy PKP is a variant of Strategic Brief Therapy adapted for psychiatric clinics and practices (Sulz, 2007, 2017a, Sulz et al., 2011). Established evidence-based cognitive and emotive treatment techniques are integrated (Sulz & Hauke, 2009). In particular, PKP uses brief interventions to develop a treatment strategy, which makes PKP particularly suitable for creating a completed therapy step during a consultation or clinic visit. PKP can be implemented as a combined group and individual therapeutic treatment concept in general psychiatric and psychotherapeutically orientated wards of a care clinic (Algermissen & Rösser, 2019, 2021). Our large therapy study shows the results of a scientific evaluation (n= 1196) of this innovative therapy concept in the Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics at Braunschweig Hospital. PKP is effective and conserves resources - with high patient acceptance. In co-operation with a psychiatric outpatient clinic or psychotherapists in private practice, cross-sector treatment paths can be planned. A catamnestic examination shows a high level of consistency in the therapy results. This shows that far more systematic psychotherapies can be applied in psychiatric clinics without having more staff available. This could significantly increase the effectiveness of inpatient psychiatric treatment.