Case formulation in emotion-focused therapy

Case formulation in emotion-focused therapy aids therapists to both conceptualize core emotion schemes and follow markers across therapy that signify tasks aimed at emotional transformation. The case formulation process will be illustrated in the successful case of Jina, a woman with a history of childhood emotional abuse who sought therapy for depression. The three stages of case formulation are co-constructed between client and therapist. In stage one, the therapist assesses her initial emotion processing style and listens as the emotion-based narrative unfolds. In stage two, the core emotion scheme and formulation narrative organize around feelings of shame of inferiority and attachment-related feelings of being rejected and unloved. Attendant secondary emotions of powerlessness, and unmet needs for validation emerge. Stage three evolves as the therapist follows process markers, prompting chair work for both unfinished business and self-criticism, ultimately helping Jina access adaptive sadness and newly experienced self-compassion.