A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Productive Processes Inventory

Psychotherapy is generally effective for resolving a variety of presenting problems. However, the mechanisms of change that contribute to this effectiveness are not generally well-understood. The purpose of this paper is to present refinements to an instrument developed to assess client perception of therapy productiveness. In other words, what things occur in therapy sessions that clients identify as giving rise to success in achieving their therapeutic goals. This paper presents the results of a confirmatory factor analysis to test and refine the factor structure of the Productive Processes Inventory. A sample of 286 individuals in individual, couple and family therapy completed the PPI and related measures. Results showed that a modified three factor structure presented the best fit to these data. Implications for research and clinical practice are presented and discussed.