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Practitioner Report: A model‐building approach in cognitive therapy with a woman with chronic ‘schizophrenic’ hallucinations: Why did it work?
Author(s) -
John Carolyn H.,
Turkington Douglas
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
clinical psychology and psychotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.315
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-0879
pISSN - 1063-3995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0879(199603)3:1<46::aid-cpp68>3.0.co;2-9
Subject(s) - psychology , cognition , distress , psychotherapist , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , clinical psychology , thematic analysis , psychosis , psychiatry , qualitative research , social science , sociology
A single case study is used to explore the therapeutic factors contributing to symptom reduction in a 48‐year‐old woman with a 29‐year diagnosis of ‘chronic schizophrenia’. Eight sessions of cognitive therapy were given and progress followed up over two years. The therapy was based on a model accounting for the function, thematic content and psychological maintaining mechanisms of the hallucinatory experience, which was collaboratively constructed and combined with standard cognitive‐behavioural techniques. This increased the client's understanding of and control over her functional auditory hallucinations and her secondary delusional interpretation of these as ‘telepathic’ communication from God. The CPRS, self‐report and observed behaviour showed marked symptom reduction, reduced distress and increased self‐esteem and self confidence. The therapy is described in detail, as a basis for discussion of the specific and non‐specific factors contributing to this outcome.