Showing papers by "João Salgado published in 2017"

Changes in symptom intensity and emotion valence during the process of assimilation of a problematic experience: A quantitative study of a good outcome case of cognitive-behavioral therapy

Abstract: The assimilation model describes the change process in psychotherapy. In this study we analyzed the relation of assimilation with changes in symptom intensity, measured session by session, and changes in emotional valence, measured for each emotional episode, in the case of a 33-year-old woman treated for depression with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Results showed the theoretically expected negative relation between assimilation of the client's main concerns and symptom intensity, and the relation between assimilation levels and emotional valence corresponded closely to the assimilation model's theoretical feelings curve. The results show how emotions work as markers of the client's current assimilation level, which could help the therapist adjust the intervention, moment by moment, to the client's needs.

Immersion and distancing across the therapeutic process: relationship to symptoms and emotional arousal

Abstract: This study aims to clarify the roles of immersion and distancing (that is, reflection on an experience from an egocentric point of view or as an observer, respectively) on therapeutic change analyzing i) the evolution of these two perspectives across the resolution of a clinical problem, and ii) the relationship between immersion/distancing with symptoms and emotional arousal. We extracted all the passages of speech pertaining to the most relevant clinical problem of a good outcome case of depression undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy. We assessed the distancing/immersion of these extracts using the Measure of Immersed and Distanced Speech, and emotional arousal with the Client Emotional Arousal Scale-III. The symptoms were assessed from the Beck Depression Inventory-II and Outcome Questionnaire-10.2. Immersion was associated with symptoms and negative emotions, while distancing was associated with clinical well being and positive emotions. Immersion was still dominant when depressive symptoms were below the clinical threshold. Clinical change was associated with a decrease in immersion and an increase in distancing. The dominance of immersion does not necessarily indicate a bad outcome.

Narrative change in Gloria Films: Comparing various processes of therapeutic innovation.

Abstract: Aims: The present study focuses on the analysis of novelty emergence in classic Gloria Films with Rogers, Perls, and Ellis to understand how the same client formulated her own problem and if and how change occurred in those three sessions. Method: The Innovative Moments Coding System was applied to track innovative moments (IMs) and their themes. Results: The session with Rogers showed more diversity in disclosed problems and themes of IMs, as well as a higher proportion of reflection IMs. The session with Perls demonstrated a high proportion of protest IMs. The session with Ellis showed less innovation than other sessions. The changes found were based mostly on reflection and protest IMs in three sessions. Conclusion: Narrative innovations occurred in the three single sessions. The type of dominant innovation is consistent with the therapeutic model and the IMs model. The exploration of the IMs’ themes allowed a more precise identification of Gloria's new narrative positions and their development...

Screening and evaluation platform for depression and suicidality in primary healthcare

Abstract: This work presents a screening and evaluation platform for depression and suicidality that has been tested in the scope of primary healthcare. The main objective is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of screening processes. A web-based, decision support platform was provided for qualified healthcare professionals. The platform provides several assessment tools for patient evaluation and monitoring of their treatment, along with follow up appointment management. A preliminary evaluation process was carried out to understand the health professional’s satisfaction. This revealed there was general satisfaction with its integrated functions and all the provided methods of assessment. In conclusion, the project sustains the goal of improving the treatment outcomes for clinical depression by refining the screening methods and consequently increase the screening effectiveness and efficiency.