Previous Projects

Emotion-focused therapy for patients with breast cancer in a psycho-oncology service

This study carried out in collaboration with the psycho-oncology service at St. Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar, Dublin aimed to develop a variant of Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) for Co-morbid Anxiety and Depression (CAD) in women with breast cancer. Participant suitability for participation was based on their initial intake assessment, their score on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS; Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, Research Version, Patient Edition (SCID-I/P; First, Spitzer, Gibbon & Williams, 2002). Participants underwent 14-21 sessions of therapy. Quantitative pre-post outcome measures were completed pre, mid, post, and six-month follow up. Qualitative data were collected at the end of each session from clients and at the end of treatment from both clients and therapists. All sessions were also recorded for the purposes of analysis. The study was reported as a series of case studies followed by a cross case analysis (Connolly, 2016; Connolly, A., Timulak, L., Hession, N., & Coleman, N., 2014), and it is anticipated that the study will be the basis of further research.

Connolly, A., Timulak, L., Hession, N., & Coleman, N. (2014, October). Emotion Focused Therapy for Patients with Breast Cancer in a Psycho-Oncology Service: A Case Study Investigation. In PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY (Vol. 23, pp. 183-184).

Emotion-focused therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: An exploratory study in a primary care psychology setting

This treatment development study, carried out in collaboration with a HSE Primary Care Psychology service and Prof. Leslie Greenberg (York University, Toronto) was funded by a grant from the Health Research Board. The study involved assessing pre–post outcomes and 6-month follow-up of emotion-focused therapy for GAD, supplemented by qualitative post-therapy client accounts of helpful and unhelpful aspects of therapy and changes reported since therapy started. Fourteen clients were assessed on several measures focusing on GAD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and general psychological functioning. Quantitative pre–post and 6-month follow-up data indicated large effect sizes. Qualitative data captured changes in emotional functioning, anxiety, self-acceptance, self-confidence, and self-understanding. Clients reported as helpful both relational aspects of the work and in-depth experiential tasks, although some found the experiential aspect of the work difficult. The findings supported further investigation of EFT as a treatment for GAD, leading to the above-described randomised controlled trial comparing the EFT with CBT in the treatment of GAD.

Link to paper: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-55835-004