Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based, directive, client-centered therapy designed to develop discrepancy and resolve ambivalence by eliciting and reinforcing client Change Talk. However, the exact link between the process engaged in during MI and outcome is only starting to be uncovered. The present thesis has replicated and expanded on the current knowledge of the relationship between Therapist and Client Behaviours during a MI-based intervention (Motivational Enhancement Therapy; MET) and outcome, and has provided support for the emergent theory of the inner workings of MI. This was achieved by coding 106 audiotaped MET sessions primarily by the methods outlined in the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code Version 2.0. Data was drawn from 28 participants who received 3-4 sessions of MET within the context of a randomised controlled trial for mild-moderate alcohol dependence at the Community Alcohol and Drug Service of Christchurch. Therapist and Client Behaviours were analysed within sessions (categorised into Early, Mid, or End Intervals) and across sessions, and compared with whether the client had drank within national drinking guidelines during the 6-months after MET (Controlled Drinkers). In terms of Client Behaviours during MET it was found that Uncontrolled Drinkers (compared with Controlled Drinkers) uttered a significantly higher frequency of Sustain Talk, lower Ability Language strength (over all MET and during End Intervals), and lower Commitment Language strength (during Session 2 and 4, and change over MET). Giving Information was the only Therapist Behaviour where significant differences were observed over all MET, with a higher frequency given to the Uncontrolled Drinkers. However, during End Intervals within MET Sessions, Controlled Drinkers received a significantly higher frequency of Advise without Permission and a lower frequency of Emphasise Control statements. In most instances MI-Consistent Therapist Behaviours were associated with higher strength of Ability and Commitment Language, and a lower frequency of Sustain Talk. MI-Inconsistent Therapist Behaviour, Direct, was associated with lower Client Language strength. Limitations to these results include small sample, limited ability to make inferences about causality, coder biases, and uneven reliability. However, this exploratory study was unique in investigating the relationship between Therapist Behaviours and the strength of Client Language, and in examining these factors within and across multiple sessions, and has produced a number of potentially valuable findings that warrant further investigation.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based, directive, client-centered therapy designed to develop discrepancy and resolve ambivalence by eliciting and reinforcing client Change Talk. However, the exact link between the process engaged in during MI and outcome is only starting to be uncovered. The present thesis has replicated and expanded on the current knowledge of the relationship between Therapist and Client Behaviours during a MI-based intervention (Motivational Enhancement Therapy; MET) and outcome, and has provided support for the emergent theory of the inner workings of MI. This was achieved by coding 106 audiotaped MET sessions primarily by the methods outlined in the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code Version 2.0. Data was drawn from 28 participants who received 3-4 sessions of MET within the context of a randomised controlled trial for mild-moderate alcohol dependence at the Community Alcohol and Drug Service of Christchurch. Therapist and Client Behaviours were analysed within sessions (categorised into Early, Mid, or End Intervals) and across sessions, and compared with whether the client had drank within national drinking guidelines during the 6-months after MET (Controlled Drinkers). In terms of Client Behaviours during MET it was found that Uncontrolled Drinkers (compared with Controlled Drinkers) uttered a significantly higher frequency of Sustain Talk, lower Ability Language strength (over all MET and during End Intervals), and lower Commitment Language strength (during Session 2 and 4, and change over MET). Giving Information was the only Therapist Behaviour where significant differences were observed over all MET, with a higher frequency given to the Uncontrolled Drinkers. However, during End Intervals within MET Sessions, Controlled Drinkers received a significantly higher frequency of Advise without Permission and a lower frequency of Emphasise Control statements. In most instances MI-Consistent Therapist Behaviours were associated with higher strength of Ability and Commitment Language, and a lower frequency of Sustain Talk. MI-Inconsistent Therapist Behaviour, Direct, was associated with lower Client Language strength. Limitations to these results include small sample, limited ability to make inferences about causality, coder biases, and uneven reliability. However, this exploratory study was unique in investigating the relationship between Therapist Behaviours and the strength of Client Language, and in examining these factors within and across multiple sessions, and has produced a number of potentially valuable findings that warrant further investigation.

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Questa tesi descrive una modalità parsimoniosa di organizzare l'ampia evidenza prodotta in questi ultimi anni nel campo della salute mentale digitale. A tal fine, viene presentato il framework DIU (D per diffusione, I per miglioramento e U per comprensione). Questo quadro teorico è applicato al campo specifico della regolazione delle emozioni (ER) per i disturbi emotivi. L’obbiettivo è quello di fornire una descrizione dell'attuale cambiamento della psicopatologia e evidenziare il ruolo della ER come meccanismo di cambiamento transdiagnostico e transteorico. A tal fine, viene fornita una revisione di tutti gli sviluppi esistenti in ciascuna delle categorie del quadro DIU. Ogni sezione propone nuovi risultati empirici che mostrano come le terapie digitali possano aiutare a migliorare l'ER nei disturbi emotivi. Per realizzare tali contributi empirici, sono stati utilizzati svariati disegni di ricerca e diverse soluzioni statistiche a seconda dei diversi contesti in cui gli studi sono stati condotti. Nel complesso, questa tesi stimola la discussione su alcuni degli attuali dibattiti nell’area della psicologia clinica e suggerisce risposte teoriche ed empiriche al fine di migliorare il campo. / This dissertation describes a way of organising parsimoniously the ample existing evidence that has been produced along these years in the field of digital mental health. For that purpose the DIU framework is presented. That is, D for dissemination, I for improvement and U for understanding. This framework is applied to the specific field of emotion regulation in emotional disorders. In that sense, it presents a description of the current psychopathological transformation in order to outline the role of emotion regulation (ER) as a transdiagnostic and transtheorical mechanism of change. A review of all the existing developments in each of the categories of the DIU framework are described. Each section presents novel empirical results that show how digital interventions may serve to improve ER in emotional disorders. These empirical contributions used a variety of research designs and statistical solutions depending on the different contexts in which the studies were conducted. Overall, this dissertation boosts the discussion concerning some of the current debates in clinical psychology and suggests theoretical and empirical answers in order to improve the field.

O abuso sexual é uma forma de violência interpessoal que acomete milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo, 20% das mulheres e 2% dos homens relatam passar por algum tipo de abuso sexual durante a vida. O Transtorno de Estresse Pós-Traumático (TEPT) é um dos possíveis resultados do abuso sexual e compromete a qualidade de vida do indivíduo e também suas relações interpessoais, com sintomas de reexperiência, hiperexcitação, esquiva e alterações em cognição e humor. As principais terapias baseadas em evidências para o tratamento de TEPT: Cognitive Processing Therapy e Prolonged Exposure, ambos com base na exposição, apesar de apresentarem dados empíricos e significativos de mudança, apontam até 50% de evasão a terapia, dificuldade de implementação pelo terapeuta e aumento de sintomas pela exposição. Os estudos em Psicoterapia Analítica Funcional (FAP) têm mostrado resultados satisfatórios na compreensão e aprimoramento dos processos de mudanças clínicas com foco na relação terapêutica. Levando em consideração que pessoas com TEPT tendem a apresentar comportamentos de esquivas emocionais, esquivas de relações de intimidade e de confiança e que a FAP tem por objetivo proporcionar mudanças por meio da relação terapêutica, os objetivos do presente estudo foram: 1) investigar os efeitos da FAP como tratamento para pessoas com TEPT por abuso sexual, e 2) os processos de mudança clínica envolvidos na utilização da FAP. Os participantes foram uma terapeuta/pesquisadora, três aferidores de concordância e três clientes adultos. A intervenção ocorreu com delineamento experimental de caso único, com introdução da variável independente (FAP) em diferentes momentos para cada participante, na seguinte disposição: Linha de Base - A - B (delineamento em linha de base múltipla - DLBM). As sessões foram transcritas e categorizadas com uso do Sistema de Categorização da Psicoterapia Analítica Funcional (FAPRS), a fim de encontrar os processos envolvidos nas mudanças clínicas, com foco na relação terapêutica. Já as melhoras do cliente foram analisadas por meio dos instrumentos: Escala de Sintomas de Transtorno de Estresse Pós-Traumático (PCL-C) e Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45). O padrão comportamental de esquivas de situações que sinalizavam intimidade e vulnerabilidade foi encontrado em todas as participantes por meio da conceituação do caso. Os resultados apontaram que, após a introdução da variável independente (FAP) os comportamentos clinicamente relevantes do tipo problema (CRB1) diminuíram drasticamente e os comportamentos clinicamente relevantes de melhora (CRB2) aumentaram. Ademais, o instrumento FAPRS apontou a potência da Regra 3 (consequenciar diferencialmente) e da Regra 2 (evocar) como os principais processos de mudanças clínicas na FAP. Os efeitos da FAP foram observados também no instrumento PCL-C, com queda dos escores para as clientes que tiveram maior tempo de intervenção FAP, dado corroborado pelos resultados do OQ-45 que também tiveram queda após a introdução da FAP, com exceção da participante exposta à menos sessões com a variável independente (FAP). Dessa forma, esse estudo pontua a eficácia da FAP para o tratamento de vítimas de abuso sexual e o primeiro caso de sucesso na utilização do DLBM em pesquisas de prática clínica / Sexual abuse is a type of interpersonal violence that happens among millions of people worldwide, 20% of women and 2% of men states being a victim of sexual abuse during their lives. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the possible outcomes of sexual abuse that compromises the life quality of the victim and interpersonal relationships, experiencing symptoms as re-experience, hyperexcitation, avoidance and negative changes in thinking and mood. The main evidence based practice for treatment of PTSD: Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure, both based on exposure, although they show data of meaningful changes, they point up to 50% of drop-out rates, difficult implementation by therapists and increase of re-experience symptoms. Researches on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) have shown satisfactory results related to the knowledge and improvement in the mechanism of change mainly occurring in the therapeutic relationship. Considering that people with PTSD tend to show emotional avoidance, avoidance of intimacy and trust and that FAP has as main goal to provide changes through therapeutic relationship, the current study aimed to investigate: 1) the effects of FAP, as treatment for victims of sexual abuse with PTSD and 2) the FAP mechanism of change. The participants were a therapist-researcher, three agreement coders and three clients. The study had a single-case experimental design, introducing the independent variable (FAP) in different time for each client, following: baseline - A - B (multiple baseline design MBLD). The sessions were transcribed and coded with Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Rating Scale (FAPRS) aimed to study the therapeutic relationship and to find the mechanism of change. The clients improvements were analyzed through the assessments: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-C) and Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45). The avoidance patterns that indicated intimacy and vulnerability were found in all clients through the case conceptualization. Results indicated that after the introduction of FAP the clinical relevant problems behaviors (CRBs1) considerably decreased and the clinical relevant improvements behaviors (CRBs2) increased. In addition, the FAPRS assessment indicated that Rule 3 and Rule 2 were the main mechanism of change in FAP. The FAP effects were also analyzed by the OQ-45 and PCL-C assessments that showed decreased scores by the clients who had the longest period of FAP intervention. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated the efficacy of FAP in the treatment of sexual abuse victims and is the first successful study using MBLD in clinical researches