| > | | | | Clients are often surprised when they realise how |
| If you are looking for therapy as a way to make | | | | resourced theyactually are and benefit from having |
| personal changes in your life, don’t believe the | | | | their focus redirected towards their abilities and away |
| hard sell that says only the most recent and greatest | | | | from their failures. |
| model of therapy will work for you. Extensive | | | | Therapeutic Relationship (30%) |
| research conducted over the years reveals the value | | | | At least 30% of all change is accounted for by |
| of thousands of different kinds of modalities. | | | | therapists’ capacity to develop a strong, |
| Successful change occurs because of the influence of | | | | positive connection with their clients. The medical |
| 4 common factors, not the exact therapy per se. | | | | counterpart is having a good bedside manner. |
| Find out what they are in this article and how you | | | | Thefollowing characteristics control the success of |
| can use them to your benefit to be certain of | | | | the therapeutic relationship: |
| successful change in therapy. | | | | => The competence of the therapist for empathy, |
| There is a common misconception in mental health | | | | compassion and caring |
| professions that it is the exact treatment that | | | | => Loving and liking the client |
| provides the cure. Mental healthtraining stresses | | | | => How much Mutual affirmation there is between |
| learning how to administer exact, empirically | | | | therapist and client |
| validatedtherapies. However, with thousands of good | | | | => How much the therapist can promote the client |
| intervention options available and new approaches | | | | to take risks and increase mastery |
| regularly struggling for attention, it is just not feasible | | | | => Facilitating self-responsibility |
| for professionals to receive instruction in each one. | | | | => Actively collaborating with a client rather than a |
| Some models reach pre-eminence as a result of the | | | | therapist knows best approach. |
| numerous empirical studies supporting their worth; for | | | | Placebo or Expectancy (15%) |
| example, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and | | | | The placebo effect is a compelling, with 15% of the |
| Interpersonal Process Therapy (IPT) have | | | | change happening because a client expects it to. |
| widespread validation. | | | | Clients who believe their therapist to be trustworthy, |
| That therapy actually does work is an established | | | | competent and experienced are more likely to know |
| conclusion reached after decades of research, | | | | positive change. |
| however the relative dominance of one type of | | | | Model or Technique (15%) |
| therapy over another has not been | | | | The exact type of intervention only explains 15% of |
| successfullyproven. The most important finding of a | | | | theobserved change, yet despite this finding, they |
| major review of psychotherapy outcome studies | | | | are typically highlighted above all else in university |
| concluded that: Everyone has won and all must | | | | instruction. As a result, there are many professionals |
| have prizes, otherwiseknown as the dodo-bird | | | | who become technicians, using manuals to treat |
| verdict, a derivation from Lewis Carroll’s | | | | clients-by-numbers rather than tackle the complex |
| Alice in Wonderland (Luborsky et al., 1985). In | | | | and unique wholeperson. Even if these professionals |
| a ground-breaking review of the research conducted | | | | are competent in a particular treatment method but |
| since the early 1970s, Hubble et al. (1999) showed | | | | don’t tap into the other common factors they |
| that there were four common factors of change | | | | will have little influence to be efficacious agents of |
| present in all successfulpsychotherapy outcomes. The | | | | change. |
| common factors are listed as follows: | | | | Therapy is determined to succeed if all four common |
| Client Factors (40%) | | | | factors are integrated to their fullest potential during |
| Client factors are the most influential force for | | | | sessions. Qualities to look for in a therapist are: the |
| change in psychotherapy, which explain 40% of | | | | ability to attune to you and tell you the truth, |
| improvement. The strengths and resources that | | | | kindness, compassion, wisdom, intelligence and |
| clients bring into treatment are what make the | | | | experience. It is also vitally important that you like |
| largest difference. These resources encompass a | | | | each other! |
| range of life domains, both internal and external, for | | | | References |
| example a keen sense of humour and intelligence can | | | | Hubble, M. A., Duncan, B. L., & Miller, S. D. (1999). The |
| be just as practical as a supportive network of | | | | Heart And Soul Of Change: What Works In Therapy. |
| friends and material possessions. Successful | | | | Washington, DC: APA |
| outcomes in therapy are guaranteed when a | | | | Luborsky, Singer & Luborsky. (1985). Therapist |
| therapist is able to engage, expand and extend their | | | | success and its determinants. Archives of General |
| clients’ plentiful positive features. | | | | Psychiatry, 42, 602 — 611. |