Case Studies in Emotion-Focused Treatment of Depression: A Comparison of Good and Poor Outcome

In Case Studies in Emotion-Focused Treatment of Depression: A Comparison of Good and Poor Outcome, authors Jeanne C. Watson, Rhonda N. Goldman, and Leslie S. Greenberg offer a behind-closed-doors look at brief emotion-focused therapy (EFT) in the treatment of depression, capturing the state of the art of this important and widely used therapy. Six in-depth case studies three of which result in a good outcome and three in a poor outcome exemplify the principles of EFT and show how treatment progresses. The six clients depicted vary widely in their background, personalities, and beliefs about the roots of their depression, vividly demonstrating the utility of EFT across a range of circumstances. Meticulous session-by-session descriptions of the therapy process include extensive dialogue and postsession evaluations using a variety of objective process measures. These measures illuminate clients' moment-to-moment cognitive-affective processing and their perspectives on self and others. The focus on therapists' strategic choices deepens readers' understanding of the interaction between client and therapist as therapy unfolds. Client characteristics that influence outcome are compared and discussed to help therapists identify who may or may not benefit from brief EFT. Finally, the authors help readers more quickly identify when clients may be having difficulty in brief EFT and present a set of therapeutic strategies for working with these clients.