Pilot Study Dismantling the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy: Identifying the Active Ingredients

Background: CBASP is a learning acquisition model of psychotherapy and until this present study, has not been systematically dismantled to identify the active ingredient. Methods: The present investigation is the first formal dismantling pilot-study conducted to date on the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP). The two major treatment components of CBASP, Situational Analysis (SA) and the Interpersonal Discrimination Exercise (IDE), were administered alone and with CBASP treatment-as-usual (the combination of both) to determine if there were active ingredients operative in the model. Secondly, we questioned if the dismantling of CBASP should continue in a larger study in an effort to answer the greater dismantling question of whether to administer both SA and IDE separately based on the active ingredient outcomes. Results: The study did achieve visually inspected differential data patterns across the three groups of the dependent measures. Based on these outcomes, a larger dismantling study seems warranted and is recommended. Conclusions: We strongly urge that a larger dismantling study using a similar design be conducted in an effort to further the dismantling process of the CBASP model.