Cognitive Behavioural Formulation for Focal Dystonia in a Student Athlete: A Case Report

This case study introduces brief cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for a student athlete with focal dystonia and describes the development of an idiosyncratic cognitive model of the symptom. In order to aid case formulation of the idiosyncratic dystonic symptom, the therapist adapted and applied an existing cognitive model, which emphasizes the interactions between cognition, anxiety, and bodily sensation (e.g. Clark, 1986; Salkovskis and Warwick, 2001).