How do you judge when your client is getting better?
How does your client know if therapy is working? Treatment Planning
in Psychotherapy: Taking the Guesswork out of Clinical Care provides
tools to answer these and other questions important for treatment planning
in psychotherapy.
Although psychotherapy research has made great contributions,
empirically supported treatments cannot address every clinical problem,
and they do not work for every client. Yet clinicians are increasingly
being asked to demonstrate the value of psychotherapy for individual
clients. This book represents an approach to treatment planning, called
Planning and Assessment in Clinical Care (PACC), that takes into account
the unique needs of individual clients. The approach uses a system of
checks and balances between scientifically tested interventions and
sound measurement of a client's progress toward treatment goals. The
result is an eclectic approach to treatment planning based on goal setting,
measurement of progress toward the goals, and regular collaborative
review of goal attainment.
The PACC approach is a simple method applicable to most practice settings,
even those that do not explicitly support evidence-based treatment.
Practitioners in psychology, social work, psychiatric nursing, and psychiatry
will find the methods useful. PACC is also an excellent tool for graduate
training programs in these fields and would be appropriate for practica
and courses on clinical assessment. The approach views treatment as
a series of phases, rather than focusing on a single overall target
or intervention. Clients who have complicated problems or multiple diagnoses
will progress through several phases of treatment, each with its own
planning and measurement. Within each phase, the therapist defines aims
that are to be the focus of that particular segment of therapy, develops
a measurement plan for those aims, and specifies the intervention strategies
to be used within the phase. In addition, the PACC approach incorporates
regular reviews of progress as an opportunity for the therapist and
client to examine the degree to which therapy is working as intended.
Both seasoned and neophyte practitioners will find valuable tools in
the PACC approach. While many training programs and practitioners espouse
a scientist-practitioner orientation, very few resources are available
to support clinicians who want to use a scientific approach that is
realistic for practice. The PACC approach transcends theoretical orientation
and emphasizes accountability, efficiency, and flexibility in treatment
planning. The book provides not only theoretical background, but also
practical advice to implement the approach, and numerous case illustrations
to outline the unique elements and benefits of the method.
Readers will learn how to develop a comprehensive problem list that
covers a broad range of biopsychosocial domains of functioning, and
then prioritize the problems on the list as a first step to designing
a flexible treatment and assessment plan. Also included are helpful
tips on conducting regular explicit progress reviews with clients. In
addition, the book provides concrete suggestions for finding measures,
accessing treatment guides, and integrating clinical research with individual
case management, as well as potential applications for research and
teaching.
Treatment Planning in Psychotherapy: Taking the Guesswork Out of Clinical
Care is a helpful resource for clinicians and students who want to more
effectively integrate science and practice, or simply respond to managed
care organizations who require quantified treatment plans. Ultimately,
the PACC approach is a simple method designed for anyone who wants to
answer the question, "Is therapy working?"
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