Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review
of randomized controlled trials

J 2026

Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

OTTINGEROVA, Lenka; Julia HALAMOVA a Dagmar SZITÁS

Základní údaje

Originální název

Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Autoři

OTTINGEROVA, Lenka; Julia HALAMOVA a Dagmar SZITÁS

Vydání

FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, LAUSANNE, FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2026, 1664-1078

Další údaje

Typ výsledku

Článek v odborném periodiku

Impakt faktor

Impact factor: 2.900 v roce 2024

Označené pro přenos do RIV

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1692630

UT WoS

001682256300001

Klíčová slova anglicky

Chairwork; empty chair; intervention; psychotherapy; systematic review; two chair; unfinished business

Příznaky

Mezinárodní význam, Recenzováno

Změněno: 25. 3. 2026 12:39, Mgr. Dagmar Szitás, PhD.

Anotace

V originále

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.

Citovat

OTTINGEROVA, Lenka; Julia HALAMOVA a Dagmar SZITÁS. Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY. LAUSANNE: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2026, roč. 16, s. 1-23. ISSN 1664-1078. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1692630.

@article{2562840,
   author = {Ottingerova, Lenka and Halamova, Julia and Szitás, Dagmar},
   article_location = {LAUSANNE},
   doi = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1692630},
   keywords = {Chairwork; empty chair; intervention; psychotherapy; systematic review; two chair; unfinished business},
   issn = {1664-1078},
   journal = {FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY},
   title = {Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials},
   volume = {16},
   year = {2026}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2562840
AU  - Ottingerova, Lenka - Halamova, Julia - Szitás, Dagmar
PY  - 2026
TI  - Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
JF  - FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
VL  - 16
SP  - 1-23
EP  - 1-23
PB  - FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
SN  - 16641078
KW  - Chairwork
KW  - empty chair
KW  - intervention
KW  - psychotherapy
KW  - systematic review
KW  - two chair
KW  - unfinished business
N2  - 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.
ER  -

OTTINGEROVA, Lenka; Julia HALAMOVA a Dagmar SZITÁS. Experiential therapies including Chairwork: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. \textit{FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY}. LAUSANNE: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2026, roč.~16, s.~1-23. ISSN~1664-1078. Dostupné z: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1692630.

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