Emotion-focused psychotherapy for GAD: individual case comparison of a good and poor outcome case

ABSTRACT

Emotion-focused psychotherapy proposes that maladaptive emotional processing and a vulnerable sense of self is core to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This paper examined changes in clients’ maladaptive emotions and negative treatment of self in a good and a poor outcome case in emotion-focused psychotherapy. Transcribed sessions were coded using a measure of emotion derived from Plutchik’s wheel of emotion and a measure of negative treatment of self based on subscales of the Measure of Client Productive Processing. The changes observed across therapy for each client on each dimension were compared and contrasted and the trajectory of change plotted and described. The findings provide a preliminary model of change in GAD to inform future investigations of the change process in GAD and the development of a task analytic model of resolution for clients with GAD.

Emotionsfokussierte Psychotherapie bei Generalisierten Angststörungen (GAD): individueller Fall-Vergleich zwischen einem guten und schlechten Outcome-Fall

Emotionsfokussierte Psychotherapie schlägt vor, dass maladaptives emotionales Prozessieren und ein verletzliches Selbstgefühl der Kern von GAD ist. Dieser Artikel untersucht Veränderungen in den maladaptiven Emotionen von Klienten und negative Behandlung des Selbst in einem guten und in einem schlechten Fall von Outcome durch Emotionsfokussierte Psychotherapie. Transkribierte Sitzungen wurden mit Hilfe einer Emotions-Skala kodiert, die von Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion abgeleitet ist, sowie mit einer Skala zu negativer Behandlung des Selbst, die auf den Sub-Skalen des Measure of Client Productive Processing beruht. Die Veränderungen, die bei jeder Klient-Person über den Zeitraum der Therapie hinweg beobachtet wurden, verglich man und kontrastierte sie; die Veränderungskurve dazu wurde gezeichnet und beschrieben. Die Befunde zeigen ein vorläufiges Veränderungs-Modell für GAD und die Entwicklung eines Modells zur Analyse von Lösungsschritten für Klienten mit GAD.

Psicoterapia enfocada en la emoción para TAG: Comparación de casos individuales de un caso de un pobre resultado otro de buen resultado

La Psicoterapia Enfocada en la Emoción propone que el procesamiento emocional mal adaptado y un sentido vulnerable del yo, son fundamentales para el trastorno generalizado de ansiedad (TAG). Este artículo examinó los cambios en las emociones mal adaptativas de los clientes y el tratamiento negativo de sí mismo en un buen caso y otro caso de resultado pobre, en la psicoterapia centrada en la emoción. Las sesiones transcritas fueron codificadas usando una medida de la emoción derivada de la rueda de la emoción de Plutchik y una medida del tratamiento negativo de uno mismo basado en las subescalas de la medida del procesamiento productivo del cliente. Los cambios observados a través de la terapia para cada cliente en cada dimensión fueron comparados y contrastados y la trayectoria de cambio trazada y descrita. Los resultados proporcionan un modelo preliminar de cambio en el TAG para informar futuras investigaciones del proceso de cambio en TAG y el desarrollo de un modelo analítico de la tarea de resolución para los clientes con TAG.

La psychothérapie centrée sur les émotions pour le trouble anxieux généralisé -TAG - Comparaison individuelle de cas débouchant sur un bon/un mauvais résultat.

La psychothérapie centrée sur les émotions retient qu’un traitement émotionnel inadapté et un sentiment vulnérable de soi est central dans le TAG. Cet article examine chez le client les changements des émotions inadaptées et du traitement négatif de soi dans les résultats de cas de thérapie centrée sur les émotions débouchant sur un bon ou sur un mauvais résultat. Des sessions retranscrites ont été codifiées en utilisant une mesure des émotions dérivée de la roue des émotions de Plutchik’s et une mesure du traitement négatif de soi basée sur des sous-échelles d’un outil de recherche - Measure of Client Productive Processing. Les changements observés au cours de la thérapie pour chacun des clients sur chacune des dimensions ont été comparés et mis en contraste, et la trajectoire du changement a été tracée et décrite. Les résultats procurent un premier modèle de changement qui donne des indications pour de futures recherches sur le processus de changement dans le TAG et pour le développement d’un modèle d’analyse des tâches de résolution pour les clients ayant un TAG.

Psicoterapia Focada na Emoção da Perturbação da Ansiedade Generalizada (PAG): comparação de casos individuais com resultados bons e fracos

A Psicoterapia Focada na Emoção propõe que o processamento emocional disfuncional e uma perceção vulnerável do self são o cerne da PAG. Este artigo analisa as mudanças do comportamento disfuncional e do tratamento negativo do self em dois casos de Psicoterapia Focada da Emoção – um com bons resultados e outro com resultados fracos. Foram codificadas transcrições de sessões, com recurso a uma medição de emoção derivada da Roda das Emoções de Plutchik e a uma medição de tratamento negativo do self baseada em subescalas da Medição do Processamento Produtivo do Cliente. As mudanças observadas ao longo da terapia para cada cliente e em cada dimensão foram comparadas e contrastadas e a trajetória de mudança foi documentada e descrita. Os resultados fornecem um modelo preliminar de mudança na PAG que informam futuras investigações em relação ao processo de mudança na PAG e ao desenvolvimento de um modelo analítico de resolução de tarefas para clientes com PAG.

KEYWORDS:

• Anxiety
• GAD
• emotion-focused psychotherapy
• emotion
• case study

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeanne C Watson

Jeanne Watson is Professor at OISE at the University of Toronto, Canada. A major exponent of humanistic-experiential psychotherapy, she has contributed to the development of EFT, the process experiential approach. Dr. Watson teaches and conducts research on the process and outcome of EFT and has co-authored and co-edited a total of 7 books and over 70 articles and chapters on the theory and practice of EFT, the therapeutic relationship, the alliance, empathy and emotional expression. Dr. Watson received the Outstanding Early Career Achievement Award from the International Society for Psychotherapy Research in 2002 and was President of the Society in 2014–2015. She teaches workshops in Europe and North America and has been nominated by her students for supervision and teaching awards.

Sepideh Saedi Chekan

Sepideh Saedi Chekan received her BA degree from the York University and completed her M.A. degree in clinical and counseling psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto. She completed a practicum at Lakeridge Health Hospital at their Adult outpatient and Interact Mental Health Community programs where she conducts psychodiagnostic assessment and individual psychotherapy with adults. She is currently working at Lakeridge Health Outpatient Eating Disorders program where she administers psychological measures and provides individual psychotherapy with adults and facilitates workshops for caregivers of individual with eating disorders and other comorbidities.

Evelyn McMullen

Dr Evelyn McMullen is a registered clinical and counseling psychologist with extensive theoretical, academic and clinical training in psychotherapy and psychotherapy research. She works as a research assistant and sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto, where she keeps current with seminal work at the cutting edge of the field. She has presented at several international conferences and published papers contributing to a better understanding of how best to work with clients in psychotherapy. She also provides evidence-based treatment using Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) in a private practice setting.