Coping.org:
Tools for Coping
with Life's
Stressors
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The
goal of the Concluding Techniques in ESBT is to assist clients to recognize the
progress they have made in their lives while they were in therapy.
1.
Post-treatment sculpting in which clients sculpt their current environment to
recognize changes they have made in their role definitions and relationship
rules.
2.
Journal review in which clients review what they have been recording in their
journal since initiation of therapy. Their helps them to recognize the distance
they have come due to the changes apparent in the thoughts, emotions and actions
recorded in their journals.
3.
Encourage clients to conduct a therapy session with themselves so that they can
assess the progress they have made in alleviating the presenting problems they
brought originally into therapy. Encourage them to have a pre-session with
themselves and prepare themselves with journal writing. Then encourage them to
have a post-session with themselves to process over what happened in the
session.
4.
Draw up a contract with clients about their willingness to try it on their own
without therapy for a time to see if the changes they have made are long lasting
or just a form of "faked wellness."
5.
Take an inventory of where the clients are at their time. Their inventory will
assist both therapists and clients to recognize the progress attained and what
if anything still needs therapeutic attention within the context of direct
therapy.
6.
Give clients a progress report on which they can rate themselves in regards to
their progress in overcoming their presenting problems. What follows is a sample
Progress Report.
CLIENT'S
PROGRESS REPORT
These
questions are to help you measure your progress in therapy. Consider a specific
problem and rate your progress.
Specific
problem:
1.
How important is their problem (on a 1-10 scale)?
2.
On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being where you were at your worst, where would
you say you are today on their problem? (Do not compare yourself with where you
want to be or where other people are. Do not make social comparisons).
3.
How much progress did you expect to make? (1-10)
4.
On a 1-10 scale, with 1 being no effort at all, how hard are you working
to deal with their problem?
5.
How difficult was it to make their effort? (1-10)
6.
What percentage of your improvement would you say is the result of what
you have done voluntarily? (Do not rate what percent was the result of luck or
chance).
7.
How much (in percent) did the sessions help?
8.
How much (in percent) of the improvement would you say is
permanent?
A
Final Word
Haley
(1985) gives all therapists who do brief psychotherapy some cautions on how to
fail in therapy. Their tips for how to consistently fail in brief therapy are:
Do
not attend to the presenting problem of the clients.
Assume
dealing with the clients’ past is essential so deal with it extensively.
Focus
only on symptoms.
Predict
a worsening of the symptoms or symptom substitution.
Over
focus on the clients’ diagnosis and the various criteria necessary for
coming up with their diagnosis.
You
must use only ONE theoretical framework.
Don't
be directive.
Assume
change must be observable to be real change.
Insist
on years of treatment to bring about change.
Evoke
guilt in the clients.
Ignore
the clients’ wanting quick results.
Don't
define goals in therapy.
Don't
collaborate with your clients.
Assume
all responsibility for the success or failure the clients in therapy.
Don't
evaluate your effectiveness.
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The Tools for Coping
Coping.org
is a Public Service of James J. Messina, Ph.D. & Constance M. Messina, Ph.D.,
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