By: Thomas E. Schacht & Jeffrey L. Binder
Clinical formulation is the process of crafting an individualized explanation of the unique psychological problems of a particular individual. Structured clinical formulation models are standard templates for generating such explanations. The Cyclical Maladaptive Pattern (CMP) is one such structured clinical formulation template that focuses on the interpersonal components of problems. The CMP was developed to assist in training research therapists in the Vanderbilt II study of time-limited dynamic psychotherapy (TLDP). The CMP also implemented the research design principle of problem-treatment-outcome congruence. This principle, first articulated by the Vanderbilt group, hypothesizes that psychotherapy research becomes easier to understand and use when the patient’s problem, the treatment process, and the treatment outcome are all measured the same way. The 1984 Vanderbilt II TLDP treatment manual (Psychotherapy in ...
Schacht, T., & Binder, J. (2017). Cyclical maladaptive pattern. In A. Wenzel (Ed.), The sage encyclopedia of abnormal and clinical psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 945-945). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781483365817.n366