ABSTRACT
The well-described case study has been a cornerstone of the development of psychotherapy since the publication of Freud’s detailed accounts of therapy during the early years of the twentieth century. Indeed, the discussion of case materials arising from therapy sessions has formed the basis for supervision, training and the general dissemination of knowledge throughout the psychotherapeutic world. Advances in therapeutic thinking and specific techniques have usually been heralded by published case studies detailing innovations in therapy. Given the focus of this book and the current climate of ‘evidence-based medicine’ whereby pressures exist on therapists to justify the efficacy of their therapeutic techniques, it would be reasonable to reappraise the standing of the ‘case study’ as one such means of demonstrating treatment efficacy. The aims, therefore, of the present chapter are to review the development of single case methods in general and to provide a brief overview and evaluation of their practical application to psychotherapy research. As is discussed below, a variety of different single case approaches may be identified. However, this chapter will focus mainly on single case experimental designs (SCEDs) which have been developed in order to evaluate the impact of clinical and educational interventions.
