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Formulation as intervention: case report and client experience of formulating in therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2015

Graham R. Thew*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
Nadja Krohnert
Affiliation:
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Bristol, UK
*
*Author for correspondence: Dr G. R. Thew, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK (email: graham.thew@psy.ox.ac.uk).

Abstract

Formulation is widely considered a critical component of psychological therapies, and is thought to have a number of benefits both for the therapeutic process and the client directly. However, the evidence base supporting formulation and its possible interventive capacity is limited, and there is little empirical evidence exploring how clients perceive formulation as part of therapy. Work with the client described in this single case report provided an opportunity to explore the use of formulation as intervention and evaluate ways in which it may or may not prove helpful by interviewing the client directly about her experience of the process. Implications for further research on the use and outcomes of formulation are discussed.

Type
Practice article
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2015 

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References

Recommended follow-up reading

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