TA Treatment of Depression: A Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design Study - ‘Tom’

Abstract

Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design (HSCED) is a systematic case study research method involving the cross-examination of mixed method data to generate both plausible arguments that the client changed due to therapy and alternative explanations. The present study uses HSCED to investigate the outcome of short-term TA psychotherapy with a man with moderate depression and comorbid social anxiety The objective of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of short-term TA therapy for the treatment of depression and to explore and identify key aspects of the TA therapy process and associated factors promoting change amongst effective cases. To enhance rigour and address potential for researcher allegiance, indep-endent psychotherapy researchers have adjudicated the case and offer a verdict on outcome. The majority verdict of two judges in this case was that this was a positive outcome case and that the client had changed substantially and that these changes were substantially due to the effects of therapy. The third judge’s conclusion was that this was a mixed outcome case, and that the client had changed considerably and that this had been considerably due to therapy. This is the 3rd case reported on and additional rigour was introduced into the HSCED approach in the same way as reported in the accompanying paper about the 2nd case. (IJTAR 3:2, 3-14)