Wanting Too Much and Too Soon – The Therapist´s Clinical Perspective

Abstract

This article is a response to commentaries by Kristin Osborn (2020) and Bjorn Philips (2020) on three case studies I conducted (Frankl, Wennberg, Berggraf & Philips, 2020), which involved the use of a 10-session Affect Phobia Therapy (APT) with individuals diagnosed with mild to moderate Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The response focuses on four main areas: (a) the tension between the need for systematic assessment and core conflict formulation in each case versus the need for efficiency and accessibility in the design of a "first-line," 10-session version of APT, which is typically much longer in length; (b) specific considerations in applying APT to AUD; (c) research design considerations associated with the three case studies; and (d) my personal experience as the therapist in conducting the 10-session APT with these three AUD cases. I conclude with a proposal for incorporating the critical points from the commentaries into future studies.