Therapists’ questions in short term psychoanalytic psychotherapy with depressed adolescents

Questions are an integral part of therapeutic exchanges, but little empirical work has been done on how questions are used within psychoanalytic psychotherapy sessions. This study explores how therapists use questions in short term psychoanalytic psychotherapy (STPP) sessions with depressed adolescents. Three STPP cases were selected and questions asked by the therapist were identified, transcribed, and analysed in terms of type and function. A specific type of question (considered as ‘performative’) was noted as being of interest. These questions and the patients’ responses were analysed using Conversation Analysis (CA). A high number of questions were asked across all cases, with type and function generally comparable to findings from non-therapeutic conversational settings. The specific questions identified as ‘performative’ were used by therapists to verbalise patients’ unspoken negative thoughts and feelings towards them. A high proportion of avoidant responses to these questions was found. These results have consequences for refining clinical technique and the training of psychotherapists undertaking STPP with depressed adolescents, with particular reference to addressing the negative transference.