Process-experiential/emotion-focused therapy for social anxiety: a Hermeneutic Single-Case Efficacy Design study.

ABSTRACT

Social Anxiety (SA) is a common and debilitating problem. Although a range of therapies have been applied to treat SA, only a narrow range of these has been researched to date. In this study, Hermeneutic Single Case Efficacy Design (HSCED) was used to investigate Process-Experiential/Emotion-Focused Therapy (PE-EFT) with a socially isolated client with Social Anxiety. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, we constructed a rich case record and a set of documents arguing for and against client change; these were judged by three graduate student peer judges. The judges found the client to have changed substantially over the first 16 sessions of therapy, and PE-EFT was found to have contributed substantially to this change.