Efficient Therapy for Specific Client Problems

Making the Most of Every Client Session

Windy Dryden

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040346617
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Movements in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

Most clients seeking therapy want to be helped with specific emotional problems with which they are struggling, and yet many therapists are reluctant to offer problem-focused therapy.

Efficient Therapy for Specific Client Problems presents the case for such an approach and details how it can be practised efficiently. The book outlines the 26 principles of efficient therapy for specific client problems with clinical examples demonstrating each of the main points. Topics covered include identifying when problem-focused help is appropriate, developing a problem list with the client and setting an agenda for each session, problem assessment, and helping a client find, develop, and implement a solution. The book is highly practical in emphasis with approachable guidelines for helping clients directly with their specific problems and appendices that feature a pre-therapy form, a pre-session form, a session rating form and an end of therapy questionnaire.

Designed to be read by therapists, counsellors, counselling and clinical psychologists, and students of these disciplines, this accessible text will be valuable to readers across different levels of experience.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Principle 1 Find Out What the Person Wants from Therapy and Offer Problem-Focused Help When Appropriate
• Principle 2 Get the Person’s Informed Consent
• Principle 3 Adopt a Client-Led Stance
• Principle 4 Encourage Your Client to Prepare for the First and Subsequent Therapy Sessions
• Principle 5 Use the Working Alliance Concept as a General Guide to Your Work with Your Client
• Principle 6 Begin Therapy as Soon as Possible with Your Client
• Principle 7 Develop a Problem List and Set an Agenda for Each Session with Your Client
• Principle 8 Encourage Your Client to Get the ‘Feel’ of Being in Therapy with You, if Necessary
• Principle 9 Establish and Maintain Meta-Therapy Communication with Your Client
• Principle 10 Identify and Focus on Your Client’s Nominated Problem
• Principle 11 Be Goal-Directed with Your Client
• Principle 12 Problem Assessment: Be Specific with Your Client
• Principle 13 Be Solution-Focused with Your Client
• Principle 14 Steps to Take Before Helping the Client Find a Solution
• Principle 15 Help the Client to Select the Solution that Works Best for Them
• Principle 16 Help Your Client Try Out the Solution in the Session
• Principle 17 Help Your Client Develop a Plan to Implement Their Solution
• Principle 18 Deal with Your Client’s Obstacles to Change Before and When They Occur
• Principle 19 Uncover and Deal with Your Client’s Doubts, Reservations, and Objections to Therapy
• Principle 20 Invite Your Client to Summarize the Session and Specify Takeaways
• Principle 21 Invite Your Client to Generalize Their Learning to Other Relevant Aspects of Their Life
• Principle 22 End Each Therapy Session Well with Your Client
• Principle 23 Encourage Your Client to Schedule Sessions (or Not) as They See Fit
• Principle 24 Encourage Your Client to Engage in Post-Session Reflection
• Principle 25 Review Periodically Your Client’s Views about Therapy Overall and Their Progress
• Principle 26 End Therapy Well with Your Client
• Appendix 1: Efficient Therapy for Specific Client Problems
• Appendix 2: Pre-Therapy Form
• Appendix 3: Pre-Session Form
• Appendix 4: ETSCP Session Rating Scale
• Appendix 5: ETSCP End-of-Therapy Questionnaire
• References
• Index