Metacognitive therapy in a case of Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Emanuela Principe, Francesco Vincelli, Giovanni Capoderose
This article describes the conceptualisation and treatment, based on Wells’ metacognitive model
(2012), of a case of generalised anxiety disorder in a young woman of 18 years of age. The
intervention comprised the Socratic dialogue, re-attribution, behavioural experiments and the
Detached Mindfulness technique. The article also emphasises the most distinctive aspects of the
therapeutic relationship. At the end of the treatment, the patient reported a remission of symptoms
with major improvements and clear changes in metacognitive processing. The results were maintained
at three and six months after the end of treatment and confirm the effectiveness of metacognitive
therapy for generalised anxiety disorder.
Keywords
Behavioural experiments, Detached mindfulness, Generalised anxiety disorder,
Metacognitive therapy, Verbal re-attribution