Addressing self-criticism in depression using CBT-based emotion-focused chairwork: study protocol of a randomised...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Self-criticism is a core feature of depression, leading to distress.
• Standard cognitive-behavioural treatments often fail to address emotional change, maintaining symptoms.
• Emotion-focused interventions like chairwork are typically part of larger therapeutic programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a brief, emotion-focused chairwork intervention for self-criticism in depression.
• To assess the impact of chairwork on emotional experiencing and psychological distress.
• To explore chairwork as a standalone, targeted therapy for depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Randomised controlled trial with 62 depressed patients.
• Intervention group received 3 weekly chairwork sessions; control group received treatment as usual.
• Outcomes measured pre-treatment, and 1 week and 3 months post-treatment, including self-criticism, self-compassion, depressive symptoms, emotion regulation, and self-esteem.

Main Results:

• Preliminary findings suggest the emotion-focused chairwork intervention is safe and potentially effective.
• The intervention aimed to improve self-compassion and reduce self-criticism.
• Further analysis is ongoing to determine the impact on depressive symptoms and emotion regulation.

Conclusions:

• A brief emotion-focused chairwork intervention may be a viable approach for targeting self-criticism in depression.
• This method shows potential for enhancing emotional processing where cognitive therapies fall short.
• Results will inform future clinical studies on implementing chairwork in practice.