Change pattern of schema therapy process in adolescent patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa: a qualitative examination

In this thesis, it is aimed at investigating the schema therapy processes of female adolescent patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. In order to bridge the gap between psychotherapy research and practice, and examine the change mechanisms caused by psychotherapy, it is emphasized as a fundamental suggestion to transfer the process through qualitative and quantitative data (Elliot, 2002; Kazdin 2008; Iwakabe and Gazzola, 2009). Accordingly, systematic case studies have been conducted through collecting data from a large number of sources such as scales, therapist scoring, participant interviews, and creating detailed case summaries. At the beginning and the end of each session, quantitative data were collected by means of the Mood Assessment Form, the Session Evaluation Scale-Adjectives Form, the Therapeutic Alliance Scale Revised Short Form. Additionally, participants filled in the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Eating Attitude Test, and the Young Schema Scale Short Form at the beginning, the middle and the end of the psychotherapy processes. Change interviews were also conducted after the 10th and 20th sessions, focusing on psychotherapy experiences of the participants. The themes of the first Change Interviews listed as follows: "Difficult to Speak" theme with the subthemes of "I Am Avoidant in Everywhere, Even in Here" and "Let Others Say"; "About the Disease" theme with the subthemes of "My Mind in on Food: Fight with the Food", "My Eyes Are on My Weight: Fight with My Body", and "Socializing Gives Trouble"; and "Tidal Therapy" theme with the subthemes of "I Am Both Near and Far", "Why Am I Like This? How Do I Change?", "The Sounds in Me: Contact with the Modes", and "I Get to Know A New Sound: The Limited Reparenting". The themes of the second change interviews are: "About the Change" theme with the subthemes of "A Better Me", "My Behaviors Are Changing: I Am Going through Other Ways", and "My Healthy Adult Mode Is Growing", and "While Getting Stronger" theme with the subthemes of "The Ones That Are Good For Me, Different Descriptions", and "20 Sessions Are Not Enough: Expectations". All findings obtained from the study were discussed in the light of the literature.