History of a therapy: reasons and details of a psychotherapeutic process

Abstract

A characteristic example of the therapeutic approach applied in Aiglé is presented. Its principles correspond to an integrative model, articulated on the basis of a cognitive-social perspective. The clinical case is about a female patient who initially presented acute signs of an anxiety reaction, associated with dysfunctional components in core personality aspects. The work follows the course of the therapy’s gradual process. The first and short-term stage combined focused psychological interventions with psychopharmacological interventions. The second and long-term stage, during which the patient was included in a therapeutic group, was centred upon the treatment of her personality disorder. The sequence of the clinical vignettes follows the dynamics and the operations of the group therapy complex process, a particularly powerful tool in these cases.