Data Sheet 1_Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.docx

Chairwork refers to a set of experiential psychotherapeutic interventions in which the physical positioning of the chairs facilitates internal and interpersonal dialogue. This study is an attempt to rectify the lack of a systematic review of the research on the effectiveness of Chairwork by offering a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assess the effectiveness of Chairwork-based interventions used in various psychotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of psychological disorders, difficulties, and mental health conditions. It considers various psychotherapy modalities and formats, including individual, couple, group, and family therapies. We followed the updated criteria of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review. Our systematic review examines the relevant literature from two scientometric databases: Web of Science and Scopus published up to August 30, 2024. An independent assessment of the risk of bias in the studies was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 along with a certainty assessment. A total of 22 RCTs were included in the final analysis, providing robust empirical support for Chairwork’s efficacy across several clinical domains, including depression, childhood trauma, unfinished business, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety, and eating disorders. The results demonstrated efficacy across different therapeutic approaches, with Chairwork utilized both as a core experiential component within broader frameworks (e.g., EFT) and as a stand-alone intervention. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) varied depending on the outcome measure, ranging from small (d = 0.20) to large (d = 1.73). Our findings show that Chairwork seems to be a promising psychotherapeutic intervention for individuals, groups, and families. We provide a detailed analysis of these findings. We did not find any relevant studies relating to couple therapy.

空椅疗法（Chairwork）是一类体验式心理治疗干预手段，通过调整座椅的物理摆放位置，辅助个体开展内部对话与人际对话。本研究旨在弥补现有研究中空椅疗法有效性相关系统综述的空白，针对应用于各类心理治疗流派、用于治疗心理障碍、心理困境与精神健康问题的空椅疗法干预手段的随机对照试验（randomized controlled trials, RCTs）开展系统综述。本研究纳入多种心理治疗模式与形式，包括个体治疗、伴侣治疗、团体治疗与家庭治疗。研究遵循《系统综述首选报告条目》（Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review）的更新版标准执行。本系统综述检索了截至2024年8月30日发表于Web of Science与Scopus两个科学计量数据库的相关文献。采用Cochrane偏倚风险评估工具2.0版（Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0）对纳入研究的偏倚风险进行独立评估，并开展证据确定性评价。最终共有22项随机对照试验被纳入最终分析，为空椅疗法在多个临床领域的有效性提供了坚实的实证支持，涉及抑郁症、儿童创伤、未竟事务、强迫症（OCD）、创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）、社交焦虑与进食障碍。研究结果显示，空椅疗法在不同治疗流派中均展现出有效性，既可作为情绪聚焦疗法（Emotion-Focused Therapy, EFT）等更广泛治疗框架内的核心体验式组成部分，也可作为独立干预手段单独使用。效应量（科恩d值，Cohen’s d）因结局测量指标不同而存在差异，取值范围从小效应（d=0.20）到大效应（d=1.73）不等。本研究结果表明，空椅疗法对于个体、团体与家庭而言均是一项颇具前景的心理治疗干预手段。我们对上述研究结果进行了详细分析。本综述未发现与伴侣治疗相关的符合纳入标准的研究。