Guidelines for clinical case reports in behavioral clinical Psychology1

ABSTRACT. This theoretical study describes guidelines for writing clinical case reports in cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavior therapy and applied behavior analysis. Emphasis is laid upon the constraints to be applied in order to enhance the validity of clinical case reports. Lack of validity is a common shortcoming in clinical case reporting which limits research results interpretation and usability. A number of suggestions are made throughout the manuscript in order to strengthen single-subject designs validity. The manuscript makes the case for the contribution of clinical case reports to clinical research and empirically-based clinical practices. Guidelines for drawing up clinical case report are given. The following manuscript sections are suggested: abstract, introduction, patient identification and reason for referral, assessment strategies, clinical case formulation, treatments, study design, data analysis, effectiveness and efficiency of the intervention, and discussion. The paper provides a general and flexible framework for each of these areas. Consistency with the constraints of common clinical practices and settings is intended. KEY WORDS. Guidelines. Single-case experiment. Case studies. Case series. Clinica