Previous studies show that therapist mood is associated with psychotherapy processes, but the observational nature of these studies does not allow for causal inference. It is also unclear if other therapist characteristics, such as therapist trait empathy, moderate the relation between therapist mood and process variables. Thirty-four therapists and volunteer client dyads participated in three weekly counseling sessions. Before each session, therapists were induced to experience one of three moods, elation, depression, or neutral, in a counterbalanced order, using a combination of music and the Velten method. After each session, clients rated therapist empathy and session quality, therapists rated session quality, and observers rated therapist empathy using videotapes. Electrocardiogram was collected from therapists and clients during the session to assess heart rate synchrony as an indicator of therapist empathy. Therapist trait empathy moderated the effect of mood induction on observer-rated therapist empathy, such that when induced to experience elation, therapists with high trait empathy were observed to be more empathic, whereas therapists with low trait empathy were observed to be less empathic. Therapists of different trait empathy levels did not differ on observer-rated empathy when induced to experience depression or neutral mood. No significant effect of mood induction was found for client-rated empathy, client- and therapist-rated session quality, or heart rate synchrony. The experimental design offers preliminary evidence that therapist presession mood may influence the psychotherapy process. The findings are explained in light of empathy amplification and empathy attenuation hypotheses in relation to positive emotion. Practice and research implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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治疗师的治疗前情绪诱导：对治疗师同理心的影响。

先前的研究表明，治疗师的情绪与心理治疗过程相关，但这些研究的观察性质不允许进行因果推断。还不清楚其他治疗师特征（例如治疗师特质同理心）是否调节治疗师情绪和过程变量之间的关系。三十四名治疗师和志愿者客户二人组参加了三周每周的咨询课程。在每次治疗之前，治疗师都会结合音乐和 Velten 方法，被引导体验三种情绪中的一种：兴高采烈、抑郁或中立，以平衡的顺序。每次治疗结束后，客户对治疗师的同理心和治疗质量进行评分，治疗师对治疗质量进行评分，观察者使用录像对治疗师的同理心进行评分。在治疗期间收集治疗师和客户的心电图，以评估心率同步性作为治疗师同理心的指标。治疗师特质同理心调节情绪诱导对观察者评价的治疗师同理心的影响，因此，当被诱导体验兴高采烈时，具有高特质同理心的治疗师被观察到更具同理心，而具有低特质同理心的治疗师被观察到较不具有同理心。当治疗师经历抑郁或中性情绪时，不同特质共情水平的治疗师在观察者评定的共情上没有差异。对于客户评价的同理心、客户和治疗师评价的会话质量或心率同步性，没有发现情绪诱导有显着影响。实验设计提供了初步证据，表明治疗师的治疗前情绪可能会影响心理治疗过程。这些发现是根据与积极情绪相关的同理心放大和同理心减弱假设来解释的。讨论了实践和研究的意义。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2023 APA，保留所有权利）。