Practice Innovations, Vol 11(3), Sep 2026, 215-227; doi:10.1037/pri0000298
The rising prevalence of psychological distress requires the exploration of novel therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of individual Family Constellations, an integrative transgenerational psychotherapy, in a naturalistic outpatient setting—a modality and context where empirical evidence is scarce. A quasi-experimental, single-group pretest–posttest design was used with 75 adults in Portugal who received an average of 7.5 individual Family Constellations sessions. Psychological distress was assessed at baseline and postintervention using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–21. The intervention resulted in large and statistically significant reductions in symptoms of depression (d = 1.04), stress (d = 0.93), and anxiety (d = 0.67). Beyond these group-level effects, individual clinical change was also substantial: 88% of participants achieved clinically significant improvement based on the Reliable Change Index. The intervention was well-tolerated, with low dropout (6%) and reliable deterioration (8%) rates. This study provides important preliminary evidence that individual Family Constellations is an effective, efficient, and well-tolerated intervention. While its efficacy awaits confirmation through rigorous randomized controlled trials, its demonstrated effectiveness and brevity in a real-world setting highlight its potential as a valuable treatment option for adults experiencing psychological distress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)