ARLAB
Affect and Relationships Lab
Bar-Ilan University
Psychology Dept. &
Gonda Neuroscience Center
Contact Us: arlabbiu@gmail.com
Psychotherapy
The study of psychotherapy processes is the newest area of focus for our lab. It brings together both a specific interest in the mechanisms and outcome of one form of psychotherapy (namely, schema therapy) along with a broader interest in psychotherapy process and outcome.
Schema Therapy
Schema therapy is an integrative model of psychotherapy which grew out of Beck’s cognitive therapy, gradually developing into a unique integrative treatment for a spectrum of long-standing emotional/relational difficulties, most notably personality disorders. In our lab, we test both the theoretical postulates which underlie schema therapy (e.g., that certain modes characterize individuals suffering from particular disorders), as well as the mechanisms and outcome of the therapy itself. In particular, we have been conducing an open trial of schema therapy for individuals with avoidant personality disorder.
Psychotherapy Research
There is a growing movement in the psychotherapy research literature towards building bridges across theoretical orientations to improve the effectiveness of psychotherapy for psychopathological conditions which carry a considerable disease burden. In collaboration with the BIU Psychology Department Community Clinic and with the Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Dept. at the University of Trier, we are particularly interested in bringing methods and questions developed within our basic research topics (i.e., relationships, affect, and psychopathology) to the study of the therapeutic process. To do so, we utilize ongoing session-by-session monitoring of symptoms and alliance, which allows us to examine temporal patterns of change within psychotherapy.