Online Externalizing Metaphor Therapy for Mild-to-Moderate Anxiety: A Pilot Study with Young Adults

Abstract

Anxiety has become more prevalent in recent years, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, although it remains largely unrecognized and untreated. Thus, there is a need for effective, short, and accessible forms of intervention. Externalizing Metaphor Therapy (EMT) is a post-modern brief treatment for mild to moderate anxiety. Its efficacy is herein analyzed by examining the process and outcomes of a four session online individual therapy with 4 young adults. Qualitative and quantitative data on individual change provides preliminary support for the efficacy of EMT at post-treatment and follow-up. Additionally, EMT therapist’s descriptions and participants’ perspectives on the process of change suggests putative mediators of EMT in the transformation process. Future randomized controlled trials using wider samples are needed to confirm these provisional results.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank to all the participants in the study.

Conflict of interests statement

We have no known conflicts of interest to disclose.