Abstract
BackgroundThis currently recruiting randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of integrating components of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) into Psychological Therapy (PT), an integrative form of cognitive-behavioral therapy in a manner that is directly mirroring common integrative practice in the sense of assimilative integration. Aims of the study are to understand how both, an existing therapy approach as well as the elements to be integrated, are affected by the integration and to clarify the role of emotional processing as a mediator of therapy outcome.MethodsA total of 130 adults with a diagnosed unipolar depressive, anxiety or adjustment disorder (seeking treatment at a psychotherapy outpatient clinic) are randomized to either treatment as usual (PT) with integrated emotion-focused components (TAU + EFT) or PT (TAU). Primary outcome variables are psychopathology and symptom severity at the end of therapy and at follow up; secondary outcome variables are interpersonal problems, psychological wellbeing, quality of life, attainment of individual therapy goals, and emotional competency. Furthermore, process variables such as the quality of the therapeutic relationship are studied as well as aptitude-treatment interactions. Variables are assessed at baseline, after 8 and 16 sessions, at the end of therapy, after 25 ± 3 sessions, and at 6, 12 and 36 month follow-up. Underlying mechanisms of change are investigated. Statistical analyses will be conducted using the appropriate multilevel approaches, mainly two-level regression and growth analysis.DiscussionThe results of this study will indicate whether the integration of emotion-focused elements into treatment as usual increases the effectiveness of Psychological Therapy. If advantages are found, which may be limited to particular variables or subgroups of patients, recommendations for a systematic integration, and caveats if also disadvantages are detected, can be formulated. On a more abstract level, a cognitive behavioral (represented by PT) and humanistic/experiential (represented by EFT) approach will be integrated. It must be emphasized that mimicking common practice in the development and continued education of psychotherapists, EFT is not integrated as a whole, but only elements of EFT that are considered particularly important, and can be trained in an 8-day training plus supervision of therapies.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02822443, 22 June 2016, retrospectively registered
Highlights
This currently recruiting randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of integrating components of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) into Psychological Therapy (PT), an integrative form of cognitivebehavioral therapy in a manner that is directly mirroring common integrative practice in the sense of assimilative integration
The results of this study will indicate whether the integration of emotion-focused elements into treatment as usual increases the effectiveness of Psychological Therapy
Participants A total of 130 patients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for a unipolar depressive (ICD, F32), anxiety (ICD, F40, F41) or adjustment disorder (ICD, F43.2) are being recruited, with 65 participants randomly assigned to the TAU + EFT condition and 65 to treatment as usual
Summary
This currently recruiting randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of integrating components of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) into Psychological Therapy (PT), an integrative form of cognitivebehavioral therapy in a manner that is directly mirroring common integrative practice in the sense of assimilative integration. Psychological therapy (PT; [4, 5]) as practiced in Bern at the outpatient clinic of the Institute of Psychology and taught in the postgraduate training program as well as in many other German-speaking institutions, follows the idea of General Psychotherapy It is mainly a cognitive behavioral approach that has its roots in humanistic and learning theories, and relies on cognitive science, emotion and social psychology, neurobiology, and interpersonal and systemic approaches. A psychotherapeutic approach should be adaptable to the patient needs and possibilities as reflected in a case formulation [7] To reach this goal, it is desirable that for all change factors a sufficient range of interventions and concepts upon which they are based is available, and the use of each has been empirically studied
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