TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring the process of change in emotion-focused therapy for social anxiety
AU - Haberman, Ann
AU - Shahar, Ben
AU - Bar-Kalifa, Eran
AU - Zilcha-Mano, Sigal
AU - Diamond, Gary M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, © 2018 Society for Psychotherapy Research.
PY - 2019/10/8
Y1 - 2019/10/8
N2 - Objective: This study examined purported change mechanisms in emotion-focused therapy for social anxiety disorder. Methods: The sample included nine clients who had participated in a multiple-baseline case study trial examining the efficacy of emotion-focused therapy for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Multilevel analyses were conducted to examine the trajectories of emotions over the course of treatment, and whether primary adaptive emotions in a given session predicted levels of SAD symptoms, self-criticism, and self-reassurance over the course of the following week. Results: Findings showed a significant decrease in shame, and a marginally significant increase in assertive anger, over the course of treatment. Adaptive sadness/grief in a given session predicted less fear of negative evaluation over the course of the following week. Shame in a given session predicted higher levels of inadequate-self over the course of the following week. Finally, shame, and to a lesser degree assertive anger, in a given session predicted reassurance of self over the course of the following week. Neither assertive anger nor adaptive sadness/grief in a given session predicted levels of self-criticism over the course of the following week. Conclusions: These findings lend partial preliminary support for the therapeutic role of evoking and processing adaptive sadness/grief and assertive anger in the treatment of SAD.
AB - Objective: This study examined purported change mechanisms in emotion-focused therapy for social anxiety disorder. Methods: The sample included nine clients who had participated in a multiple-baseline case study trial examining the efficacy of emotion-focused therapy for social anxiety disorder (SAD). Multilevel analyses were conducted to examine the trajectories of emotions over the course of treatment, and whether primary adaptive emotions in a given session predicted levels of SAD symptoms, self-criticism, and self-reassurance over the course of the following week. Results: Findings showed a significant decrease in shame, and a marginally significant increase in assertive anger, over the course of treatment. Adaptive sadness/grief in a given session predicted less fear of negative evaluation over the course of the following week. Shame in a given session predicted higher levels of inadequate-self over the course of the following week. Finally, shame, and to a lesser degree assertive anger, in a given session predicted reassurance of self over the course of the following week. Neither assertive anger nor adaptive sadness/grief in a given session predicted levels of self-criticism over the course of the following week. Conclusions: These findings lend partial preliminary support for the therapeutic role of evoking and processing adaptive sadness/grief and assertive anger in the treatment of SAD.
KW - emotion-focused therapy
KW - emotional processing
KW - social anxiety
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85043380087&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10503307.2018.1426896
DO - 10.1080/10503307.2018.1426896
M3 - Article
C2 - 29366385
AN - SCOPUS:85043380087
SN - 1050-3307
VL - 29
SP - 908
EP - 918
JO - Psychotherapy Research
JF - Psychotherapy Research
IS - 7
ER -