Background: Very few studies have compared the efficacy of individual and group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) by taking into consideration the change in OCD severity in both the short and long term. Aims: To conduct an open trial of individual versus group CBT for OCD, comparing the clinical and statistically significant changes in severity both at post-treatment and one year later. Method: Forty-two OCD subjects were assigned to individual (n = 18) or group CBT (n = 24, in four groups). Sixteen and 22 subjects completed the treatment in the individual and group conditions, respectively. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale was recorded at pre-treatment, post-treatment and at the one-year follow-up. Results: At the end of treatment, the clinically significant change was comparable for the two treatment conditions and remained stable at the one-year follow-up. Of the 16 participants who completed the individual CBT treatment, 68.75% were classified as recovered at post-treatment, compared to 40.9% of those receiving group CBT. At follow-up the rate of recovery decreased to 62.5% in individual CBT and to 31.8% in group CBT. Conclusions: Group CBT is effective in decreasing OCD severity. The post-treatment changes were maintained one year later. Nevertheless, these changes were higher in the individual delivery of CBT.

Background: This study investigated sudden reversals during cognitive therapy (CT), through the comparison of “in-session” activity and “out-of-session” life events. Method: The sample comprised 20 clients who experienced sudden gains during CT for depression: 10 who subsequently suffered a reversal of this gain and 10 matched clients who maintained progress. Measures of client resistance and therapist responses were scored by judges from session transcripts and clients completed measures of life events and depression at each session. This enabled the Reversal and Non-Reversal groups to be compared during pre-sudden gain, pre-reversal or matched sessions. Results: No differences were apparent between the Reversal and Non-reversal groups or between the pre-gain and pre-reversal sessions in terms of client or therapist “in-session” activities. In the Reversals group, 6 out of 10 clients recovered their level of symptom improvement, following the reversal. Therapists showed higher levels of reflection and self-disclosure with clients who did not recover their symptom gain following the Reversal than with clients who did recover their symptom gain following the Reversal. Conclusions: The study is discussed in terms of the manner by which reversals can be more effectively measured and researched.

Background: Despite an obvious link between social anxiety and acute state of insomnia, chronic types of sleep disturbances in people with social phobia have so far received limited research/clinical attention. This case report aims to illustrate the possibility of rectifying sleep disturbances comorbid with social phobia, using a brief cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Method: Treatment involved five sessions of CBT-I provided individually on a weekly basis. Major treatment components included psychoeducation, sleep restriction therapy, stimulus control and cognitive restructuring. Results: Treatment effects were assessed using sleep diary and questionnaires over the course of the treatment and at ~9 month follow-up. The results were encouraging with all targeted sleep parameters demonstrating improvements that met dual criteria for clinical significance. The gains were well maintained even at ~9 months after treatment. These improvements in sleep were accompanied by a reduction in sleep-related anxiety and dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep. Whilst the patient also reported a corresponding improvement in daytime functioning and general anxiety, no gains were observed in depression and social anxiety. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential benefits of incorporating brief CBT-I into existing treatments for social phobia and encourage further research on the intricate relationship between sleep, mood and social anxiety.

Background: The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of group and individual formats of a combined motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) program for problem gamblers (PGs) using a randomized controlled design. Method: One hundred and two PGs were randomly assigned to individual or group CBT conditions. Twenty-eight of these participants were randomly allocated to a 6-week waitlist control condition prior to receiving the designated treatment. Results: At post-treatment, there were significant improvements in all dependent variables (frequency and amount gambled, gambling urges, gambling cognitions, negative psychological states, and life satisfaction) for both the treatment conditions but not for the waitlist condition. Individuals that completed the individual (compared to group) treatment condition generally had higher effect sizes for gambling correlates. Therapeutic gains for gambling correlates were generally maintained at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: A combined motivational interviewing and CBT program applied in group or individual format can improve PG behaviors, as well as gambling correlates.

Background: Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) ratings are commonly used during exposure tasks in cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for anxiety. Aims: The present study examined patterns and predictors of SUDS in a sample of anxiety-disordered youth. Method: Youth (N = 99) aged 7 to 14 (M = 10.4, SD = 1.8) were treated with CBT for social phobia (SP), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and/or separation anxiety disorder (SAD). Analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modeling. Results: Child's peak SUDS and magnitude of change in SUDS significantly increased between sessions. Higher child self-reported pretreatment total Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) score predicted greater change in SUDS within the first exposure session. Primary GAD diagnosis predicted less increase in change in SUDS between sessions. Conclusions: Results suggest that higher pretreatment total MASC scores are associated with increased first exposure within-session habituation. Additionally, youth with a principal diagnosis of GAD experienced less between-session habituation, perhaps because they may have required more imaginal than in-vivo exposures.

Background: While Motivational Interviewing (MI) is effective in reducing client problem behaviours, including health-related behaviours, there is little evidence about how MI training enhances practitioner skills. Aims: The current pilot study addressed this lack by training two health practitioners (Diabetes Nurse Educators) in MI, and evaluated the effect of MI training on both practitioner and patient behaviour when MI was delivered in a clinical settting, with patients experiencing difficulties with diabetes self-management. Methods: Comparisons were made between the practitioners’ skills in a baseline condition (Patient Education; PE) and after training in Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), a four-session form of MI. At the same time, the effects of the two interventions on patient in-session behaviour were compared. Practitioner and patient data were obtained from transcripts of all PE and MET sessions, which were independently coded using Motivational Interviewing Skills Code therapist and client behaviour counts. Results: Compared with their baseline performance, practitioners, when trained to practice MET, behaved in ways consistent with MI, and this appears to have evoked beneficial in-session behaviour from the patients. Conclusions: These results suggest that the MI training was effective.