Novel four-session treatment intervention for anxiety and high-functioning autism: A single case report for Externalizing Metaphors Therapy.

Topic: The Brief Services psychotherapy paradigm has evolved to produce cost-effective and clinically significant outcomes in children's mental health. Though its clinical evaluation is still in its infancy, it has been utilized to a much lesser degree with autism spectrum disorders, which typically require a longer-term approach to psychotherapy treatment.

Purpose: The current paper introduces a novel, four-session intervention that aims to decrease anxiety experienced by clients presenting with high-functioning autism.

Externalizing Metaphors Therapy and Innovative Moments: A Four-Session Treatment Group for Anxiety.

The zeitgeist for brief services psychotherapy efficacy is well underway within the individual and family therapy treatment modalities. However, this paradigm shift, to produce clinically significant mental health outcomes in a much shorter time, has evolved to a much lesser degree within the treatment group format. Longer-term treatment group protocols typically do not match treatment-seeking behaviors with high dropout rates for clients.