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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1339823

Focusing with Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study of a Brief Online Group Intervention

Provisionally accepted
Marta Gomes Marta Gomes 1,2Eunice R. Silva Eunice R. Silva 3João Salgado João Salgado 1,2*
  • 1 University of Maia, Maia, Portugal
  • 2 Center for Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Science, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
  • 3 Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto FG, Hospital Cuf Porto, Porto, Portugal

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy has had a long history and influence on the field of psychotherapy. By "clearing a space" and "focusing," individuals can enhance their emotional awareness and improve their ability to self-regulate. These tasks are particularly relevant in the context of Psycho-Oncology, although the research on their potential benefits for cancer patients is limited. Furthermore, the application of these tasks in a group or online setting has not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a two-session online intervention based on Focusing for cancer-diagnosed participants and its impact on their mental health and well-being. The study involved three participants with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer who were undergoing palliative treatment. We used both qualitative and quantitative methods. PFC-2 was used to assess participants' accomplishment of the task; FMS was used to assess the change in the focusing attitude, while CORE-OM, and EPEP were used as mental health distress and psychological well-being measures; participant feedback was collected through questionnaires and a semi-structured interview. The results suggest that the tasks led to greater self-awareness, heightened self-reflection, and a sense of relief for the participants. These findings suggest that the group intervention protocol based on online Focusing sessions is potentially useful for broader applications.

    Keywords: focusing, Clearing a Space, cancer patients, Mental health distress, psychological well-being

    Received: 17 Nov 2023; Accepted: 22 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Gomes, Silva and Salgado. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: João Salgado, University of Maia, Maia, Portugal

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