Case Report: Treating depression and alexithymia in a 15-year-old girl: an emotion-focused therapy case study

This single-case study aimed to examine the effects of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on the psychological status of a 15-year-old female high school student diagnosed with depression and alexithymia.

The study employed a single-case design comprising 18 sessions of EFT. Psychological assessment was conducted using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Data obtained throughout the counseling process were systematically organized and analyzed.

Pre-intervention scores were as follows: SCL-90-R total score = 190, SDS = 72, SAS = 60, and TAS-20 = 60. Post-intervention assessments indicated notable improvements across all measures: SCL-90-R total score = 140, SDS = 45, SAS = 38, and TAS-20 = 45.

The results suggest that emotion-focused therapy may effectively reduce emotional avoidance and improve the acceptance and comprehension of negative emotional experiences by facilitating the progressive processing of core emotions.