Understanding Assessment In Counselling And Psychotherapy

This volume offers students and trainees a thorough guide to clinical assessment. It covers different types of clinical assessment and explores the implications of the alternative views on clients needs and treatment.

This book offers students and trainees a thorough guide to clinical assessment. It covers different types of clinical assessment and explores the implications of the alternative views on clients′ needs and treatment. It explores clinical assessment as an ′art and science′ and brings the reader up to date with new requirements placed on therapists in both organisational and clinical practice based settings. In addition to outlining models for clinical assessment, it looks at the use of evidence-based practice in assessments. There are sections on doing assessments within organisations as well as from private practice.

This book offers students and trainees a thorough guide to clinical assessment. It covers different types of clinical assessment and explores the implications of the alternative views on clients' needs and treatment. It explores clinical assessment as an 'art and science' and brings the reader up to date with new requirements placed on therapists in both organisational and clinical practice based settings. In addition to outlining models for clinical assessment, it looks at the use of evidence-based practice in assessments. There are sections on doing assessments within organisations as well as from private practice.

`This chunky little book is packed with interesting approaches to the currently fashionable area of client assessment.... This is a book for any counsellor or counsellor trainee′s shelf, a necessary reference for the sound professional′ - Counselling News `The comprehensive series of essays... is a timely contribution.... This book is about being professional and effective... a valuable multimodal life inventory for use with clients is provided′ - Counselling, The Journal of The British Association for Counselling What information will help you assess the therapeutic needs of a client? Could you identify a suicidal client? How can you tell whether or not you are working with appropriate clients? Answering these and other questions, this book sheds light on a crucial, but often neglected, area of counselling. The authors provide clear guidelines, backed up by practice points, which clarify the assessment, monitoring and evaluation of clients. The book adopts a broad approach, transcending specific counselling theories and covering the main issues involved at key stages in the client/counsellor relationship - from the initial contact, through monitoring of the therapeutic programme, to ending the counselling process. Areas examined include: assessing the best type of therapy for each client; identifying the client′s therapeutic goals; history taking; referral; and evaluating goal achievement. Gladeanna McMahon is presenter of the ITV programme Dial A Mum.

This is a thorough and well-structured piece of work, which brings in the recent work of excellent authorities such as Barbara Ingram. It is well arranged, with many examples and case vignettes, which bring the material to life in an engaging way. I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it unreservedly.’ John Rowan, humanistic therapist, private practice ‘This is a must-read book for students on courses in counselling, psychotherapy, clinical psychology and psychiatry.’ Heather Fowlie, Head of the Transactional Analysis Department, Metanoia Institute, London Conducting a competent assessment and case formulation can be a daunting task for trainee therapists engaging in clinical assessment for the first time. This book is designed to help, by unpicking the many aspects involved in assessment and case formulation across modalities, practice settings and client groups. The book: · Explores key elements of clinical assessment including diagnosis, risk assessment, ethical considerations and accounting for difference. · Highlights the necessary skills, techniques and legal requirements at each stage of the process. · Takes into account the impact of culture, context and theoretical and practical considerations. · Uses case studies and reflective questions to illustrate difficult concepts in context. Equipping you with the knowledge and tools to make successful assessments and case formulations, this is an essential read for trainees and for qualified practitioners wishing to brush up on their understanding. Dr Biljana van Rijn, Faculty Head of Applied Research and Clinical Practice, Metanoia Institute.

While professional trainings in psychotherapy and counselling vary considerably in the attention they pay to assessment, courses, conferences and workshops devoted to the subject are attracting an audience eager for more demonstration and discussion. In response, The Art and Science of Assessment in Psychotherapy offers an extended symposium on principles and practice. Guided by a belief that comparative study will spur critical reflection and innovation, its presentations encompass a wide range of therapeutic orientations, settings and interests. In the book twelve distinguished practitioners of widely used approaches within psychotherapy describe the methods they use in their assessments and how these have developed. They also discuss the uses and limitations of the therapies they offer. The approaches covered include psychoanalytic psychotherapy, in-patient psychotherapy, family therapy, group psychotherapy, psychodrama, cognitive-behaviour therapy, couple therapy and focal therapy. Additional chapters look at assessment in the light of psychotherapy research, question how far assessment can be separated from treatment, and ask whether the use of questionnaires and special tests aids or detracts from interviewing as a method of assessment. As psychotherapy matures as a profession, both chronologically and in response to public demand, interest in assessment methods is growing, yet to date the published material has been limited and dispersed amongst specialist books and journals. The Art and Science of Assessment in Psychotherapy offer the first comprehensive, practical review of a key professional issue which will be of interest to all practising psychotherapists and counsellors.

Whilst assessment has long been central to the counselling process, with the recent moves towards evidence-based practice and increased regulation it is taking an increasingly pivotal role in service provision. This important new text helps clarify the nature and purpose of assessment in counselling. It explores the theoretical underpinnings of assessment across the core therapeutic schools and addresses critical differences in the meanings and importance deferred to it. It will be invaluable reading for all trainees as well as for practitioners wishing to gain a broad insight into therapeutic practice across the boundaries of the many therapeutic models.

A practical resource that your students can return to again and again to guide and coordinate their pluralistic practice, it provides: Hands-on guidance to developing pluralistic practice: providing the tools, skills and practice frameworks A step-by-step understanding of how the ideas and methods of different orientations can contribute towards a pluralistic way of working The tools and understandings needed to work with clients to achieve the most common goals The tools and understandings needed to work with clients wishing to address particular issues such as depression, anxiety, addiction, health issues, suicidal thoughts An understanding of a range of professional and practice issues relevant to pluralistic practitioners. Each chapter offers definitions of key terms, several case studies, exercises and points for reflection, further reading, chapter introductions and summaries of key learning points, and overviews of relevant research.