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How valid is your case formulation? Empirically testing your cognitive behavioural case formulation for tailored treatment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2016

Gregory H. Mumma  and
Jonathan Fluck
Gregory H. Mumma*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX, USA
Jonathan Fluck
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX, USA
*
*Author for correspondence: Dr G. H. Mumma, Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock TX, USA79409-2051. (email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Although clinicians have used cognitive behavioural case formulations (CBCFs) to guide treatment for many years, the validity of the case formulation (CF) is rarely evaluated. Given the central role of the formulation in treatment planning, particularly for complex or comorbid cases, a straightforward method to empirically evaluate the validity of the CBCF could increase the effectiveness of a treatment plan tailored for a particular client. This article describes a step-by-step, person-specific approach to evaluating a CBCF that can be used for appropriate cases in a clinical practice or especially a clinical training setting. The evaluation focuses on discriminant validity of person-specific scales and constructs and patterns of predicted functional relationships between idiosyncratic cognitions and distress. The approach is illustrated with an adult seen in a training clinic who was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and recurrent major depressive disorders and who completed 28 brief end-of-day, individualized questionnaires. The clinician's CBCF hypotheses were empirically evaluated using mostly simple statistical analyses available in readily accessible worksheets. Intervention implications of the CF evaluation are discussed.

Keywords

Case formulationclinical supervisioncognitive behaviour therapyevidence-based practiceindividual CBT
Type
Review of Assessment Tools and Methods
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 9 , 2016 , e12
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2016 

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References

Recommended follow-up reading

Bieling, PJ, Kuyken, W (2003). Is cognitive case formulation science or science fiction? Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 10, 52–69.Google Scholar
Haynes, SN, O'Brien, WH, Kaholokula, JK (2011). Behavioral Assessment and Case Formulation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Mumma, GH (2011). Validity issues in cognitive-behavioral case formulation. European Journal of Psychological Assessment 27, 29–49.Google Scholar
Mumma, GH, Mooney, SR (2007). Comparing the validity of alternative cognitive case formulations: a latent variable, multivariate time series approach. Cognitive Therapy and Research 31, 451–481.Google Scholar
Tarrier, N (2006). Case Formulation in Cognitive Behavior Therapy: The Treatment of Challenging and Complex Cases. London: Routledge.Google Scholar

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