Chairwork and the therapeutic relationship: Can the cart join the horse?

"Chairwork" is a collection of experiential methods that utilize movement between chairs and dialogue with parts of the self to bring about change. Because of their emotionally intense nature, therapists often assume that a robust therapeutic relationship is a prerequisite for these tasks. However, it could be said that chairwork also supports the development and strengthening of the alliance. This article presents a single-session, chairwork-centered treatment with an individual experiencing social anxiety. Verbatim extracts and post-intervention feedback illustrate the reciprocal and reinforcing roles of client participation, therapist facilitation, and the therapeutic bond during chairwork. Moreover, the case demonstrates that relationship and technique are intimately bound when using experiential methods, suggesting that therapists do not always need to privilege the former to implement the latter.

[1]  Alison Branitsky,et al.  'It's like having a core belief that's able to speak back to you': Therapist accounts of dialoguing with auditory hallucinations. , 2021, Psychology and psychotherapy.

[2]  M. Pugh.  Single-session chairwork: overview and case illustration of brief dialogical psychotherapy , 2021, British Journal of Guidance & Counselling.

[3]  A. Arntz,et al.  Addressing the punitive parent mode in schema therapy for borderline personality disorder: Short-term effects of the empty chair technique as compared to cognitive challenging. , 2021, Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry.

[4]  L. Serpell,et al.  Interviewing Anorexia: How do individuals given a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa experience Voice Dialogue with their eating disorder voice? A qualitative analysis. , 2021, Clinical psychology & psychotherapy.

[5]  S. Kellogg,et al.  Toward a chairwork psychotherapy: Using the four dialogues for healing and transformation. , 2021, Practice Innovations.

[6]  E. Rafaeli,et al.  Modes: Cohesive personality states and their interrelationships as organizing concepts in psychopathology. , 2021, Journal of psychopathology and clinical science.

[7]  Scott Giacomucci.  Social Work, Sociometry, and Psychodrama , 2021, Psychodrama in Counselling, Coaching and Education.

[8]  M. Pugh,et al.  Delivering tele-chairwork: A qualitative survey of expert therapists , 2020, Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research.

[9]  Eunjung Lee,et al.  Make every session count for clients! Rethinking clinical social work practice from Single Session Therapy (SST): A case illustration of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) , 2020, Journal of Social Work Practice.

[10]  Melissa S. Murphy,et al.  A Mixed Methods Exploration of Single Session Family Therapy in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Tasmania, Australia , 2020 .

[11]  M. Pugh.  Process-based chairwork: Applications and innovations in the time of COVID-19 , 2020 .

[12]  M. Pugh.  Cognitive Behavioural Chairwork , 2019 .

[13]  Ana Erika Camargo Cruz,et al.  The Core Techniques of Morenian Psychodrama: A Systematic Review of Literature , 2018, Front. Psychol..

[14]  A. Pascual-Leone,et al.  The role of maladaptive anger in self-criticism: A quasi-experimental study on emotional processes , 2016 .

[15]  G. Waller,et al.  Is the therapeutic alliance overvalued in the treatment of eating disorders? , 2013, The International journal of eating disorders.

[16]  C. Stalker,et al.  The case for single-session therapy: Does the empirical evidence support the increased prevalence of this service delivery model? , 2013, Journal of mental health.

[17]  M. G. Holtforth,et al.  Resolving Partnership Ambivalence: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Very Brief Cognitive and Experiential Interventions with Follow-Up , 2012 .

[18]  A. Wenzel,et al.  Efficacy of the trial‐based thought record, a new cognitive therapy strategy designed to change core beliefs, in social phobia , 2012, Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics.

[19]  H. Hermans,et al.  Health and Adaptation in a Multiple Self , 2010 .

[20]  S. Paivio,et al.  Efficacy of two versions of emotion-focused therapy for resolving child abuse trauma , 2010, Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research.

[21]  P. Gilbert.  Compassion : Conceptualisations, Research and Use in Psychotherapy , 2005 .

[22]  R. Elliott.  Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy: The Process-Experiential Approach to Change , 2003 .

[23]  Scott D. Miller,et al.  The Outcome Rating Scale: A Preliminary Study of the Reliability, Validity, and Feasibility of a Brief Visual Analog Measure , 2003 .

[24]  L. Greenberg,et al.  Differential Effects of the Gestalt Two-Chair Intervention and Problem Solving in Resolving Decisional Conflict. , 1986 .

[25]  J. Conoley,et al.  The effect of the ABCs of Rational Emotive Therapy and the empty-chair technique of Gestalt Therapy on anger reduction. , 1983 .

[26]  L. Greenberg.  Resolving splits: Use of the two chair technique. , 1979 .

[27]  E. Bordin.  The generalizability of the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance. , 1979 .

[28]  Jacob L. Moreno,et al.  Psychodrama, first volume. , 1946 .