A Challenging Aspect In Effective Therapy

Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) is a pan-theoretical approach that allows researchers to view/measure the therapeutic alliance between practitioners and their clients. Research informs us that those practitioners often rely on their own perspective when assessing the strength of the relationship. It has been proven that the client’s perspective is a better predictor of outcome. Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) requires the social worker to routinely solicit feedback from clients acknowledging the therapeutic alliance and the outcome of care that the client is receiving. A benefit to this EBP model is that it allows social workers to see/learn what they need to do in order to fully serve their clients. The results of this EBP model not only inform the social worker of his/her progress but it allows the social worker to tailor his/her service delivery through utilizing two scales… The Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and The Session Rating

This term paper is about solution-focused therapy and experiential therapy. In solution-focused therapy, the therapy does not emphasize the problem at all; it stresses and highlights the solution. The client is the expert and not the therapist. The experiential approach is often used to facilitate meaningful changes in individuals. SFBT is a short-term goal focused therapeutic approach which directs clients to focus on developing solutions, rather than on dwelling on problems. The theoretical framework, how change occurs, therapeutic techniques, postmodern perspective, the role of the therapist and some clinical examples are given in this term paper.

I believe that what is truly important in therapy, is the ability to empathize with the patient, it is essential to continue a successful therapeutic process. Empathy must be built from the first meeting and in many cases when we fail to this, it could be very difficult to build it for the next meetings, however, it can be achieved. This can happen often with adolescents, I would say that teenagers are the most difficult population to establish rapport, since this is the shortest stage of life in which we all feel that we know everything, and also nobody understands us. In addition, some teenagers think that therapists are outdated and old fashioned dinosaurs, but when empathy has achieved in therapy, the result is truly rewarding.

Allowing for our ethical codes of conduct, if the client is someone we feel we can proceed with, then as always, the first stage would be to develop a good rapport and gain the clients trust to develop an honest and open relationship with them. The client centred approach as always is the best method for this – to put the client at ease in a non-judgemental space where they can express their emotions and explore what it is they want to achieve with therapy. In giving the therapist an

Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) was drawn out from the work of Milton Erickson. Most people identify SFT with the variation work from Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg. Solution-focused therapy is a therapy that is action oriented and focuses on finding solutions. In SFT, the client is considered the expert (they know exactly what the problem is), and the client has the resources to find a solution. SFT does not focus on diagnoses or assessments but focuses on what the client brings to therapy. Depending on the client and the problem, SFT has a 50% successful rate. SFT has many techniques to use to assist in finding solutions for problems. These techniques range from questioning the client to having the client complete homework assignments.

Having been recently introduced this style of therapy, I became curious to apply my newfound knowledge during the first session with my new client. Like most people, I learn best by doing. The literature that I have read describing MI has not been as descriptive of a real-life session as I would like for it to be. So, closely observing how a counselor guides a conversation with a client, paying meticulous attention to body language and nuanced facial expressions, has been tremendously helpful in my understanding of how these kind of interventions can

Countertransference, which occurs when a therapist transfers emotions to a person in therapy, is often a reaction to transference, a phenomenon in which the person in treatment redirects feelings for others onto the therapist.

Today, the majority of counselors and therapists operate from an integrative standpoint; that is, they are open to “various ways of integrating diverse theories and techniques” (Corey, 2009b, p. 449). In fact, a survey in Psychotherapy Networker (2007) found that over 95% of respondents proclaimed to practice an integrative approach (cited in Corey, 2009b, p. 449). Corey (2009a; 2009b) explains that no one theory is comprehensive enough to attend to all aspects of the human – thought, feeling, and behavior. Therefore, in order to work with clients on all three of these levels, which Corey (2009b) asserts is necessary for the

I would not conduct the child custody evaluation for him because this would be a dual role or multiple relationship. Since I have already been counseling this client, and already have a relationship and opinion (that he is a good person who loves his kids) with him, this may make it hard to remain objective if I were to conduct the child custody evaluation. Also, there are two sides to every story, thus even though the client seems nice and loving while in therapy, that may not be the case outside of therapy. Also, entering into a multiple relationship is against the American Psychological Association (APA) (2010) Ethical Principles. Ethical code 3.05 states that therapists should avoid multiple relationships because being in one can impair their competence, effectiveness, objectivity and can put the client at risk for harm or exploitation. The APA ethical principle of avoiding harm also applies to this scenario (APA, 2010). If I was to do the custody evaluation for my client, and find that he should not have custody, this would ruin our therapeutic alliance and greatly harm the client. Although some therapists may belief that they would be competent and objective enough to conduct the child custody evaluation for their current client, they should stay on the side of caution, not take the risk and refer the client to a different professional who is competent in these evaluations.

The theoretical orientation that best suites my personal style is a combination of both client-centered and brief therapy. In the first part of the paper, I try and describe the importance of developing a good client/therapist relationship using a client-centered approach. I like this approach the best because it helps the client to be more open and truthful with the therapist. There are several techniques that I find important in developing this bond such as: genuineness, unconditional positive regard, accurate empathy, and active listening. After building a relationship with the client, a therapist is now faced with identifying and solving a problem behavior. With this in mind, I found that the brief therapy method best fits my style.

Creating an effective therapy group requires a therapist/coordinator to consider ten key elements before creating a group and to consider how this group will evolve into become productive for both clients and therapist. Creating an effective group means considering what type of group this will be for example will it be a an addiction group (self-help) (Brook,, 2003). A support group for military veterans an educational group to learn new skills like parenting, a Psychoeducational group they deals with partners or relatives, a therapy group for behavior change or a tasks group to meet certain solutions (Brook,, 2003). The next part of creating a cohesive group is to decide the purpose of the group for example do you hope your group will learn

Among the three main approaches to insight therapy (psychoanalysis, client-centered, or group therapy), the one that l believe has the most reasonable way to deal with psychological problems, is client-centered therapy. Client-centered therapy is an insight therapy that emphasizes providing a supportive emotional climate for clients, who play a major role in determining the pace and direction of their therapy (pg. 459). According to Carl Rogers, the man who devised client-centered therapy, three elements were necessary to promote positive changes in therapy: Genuineness (honest communication), Unconditional positive regard (therapist remains supportive, non-judgmental) and Empathy (therapist understands issues from client’s point of view) (pg. 460). In following these three elements, client and therapist were working together equally and helped client become more aware of themselves and even feel more comfortable with their therapist and the idea of therapy. Some people don’t seek help because they feel therapy might be too intimidating for them or it’s a step that they fear having to take. I can agree with this, because from my personal experience, l had pushed off therapy for so long because l was afraid to admit that l needed it.

Inviting clients to continue utilizing behavior/responses patterns that are working allows the client to see for themselves that they have the capabilities to elicit the change they are seeking without out the therapist invoking any suggestions. When the therapist is able to confirm with the client what they are at present doing well, and recognizes how challenging their problems are encourages the client to continue changing sends the message that the therapist has been paying attention, comprehend, and actually cares. This method for changing helps clients amplify exceptions to their problems, bringing forth effective solutions that are already in their repertoire (Nichols, 2013, p. 248). The credence that change can transpire quickly,

The beginning and the end of the therapy session seemed well paced, the clinician and client appearing both engaged and comfortable. However, in the middle of the therapy session, the client’s enthusiasm seemed to wane. The client did not want to participate in the emotion recognition activity, but the clinician persisted until the activity was over.

Brief therapy helps people by focusing on solutions, instead of problems. The therapist asks questions thereby facilitates the client by helping formulates solutions. The client leads the meeting by actively formulating ideas in which he/she can serve to improve the client's negative circumstances. This is contrary to cognitive therapy, which focuses on a client's cognitive processes (how he or she thinks about people/places/things). The therapist collaborates with the client to help the client develop alternative solutions.