On Becoming a Better Therapist: Evidence-Based Practice One Client at a Time

by Barry L. Duncan

For many therapists, making sense of the latest developments in psychotherapy can feel overwhelming. Every day it seems there are dozens of therapeutic approaches, fully-manualized treatments hot off the press, and twenty more clinical tests meant to measure the precise extent of evolving psychopathologies. In therapy with individual clients, it can often be difficult to know objectively if you're achieving the desired results or worse, you might know you're not reaching a particular client but have no idea why, and no idea what to do about it. An accumulation of unfruitful encounters over time can weigh on you, despite your good success rate overall. You read as much as you can, you try new approaches, but despite all the hard work you feel as though you're missing something. How can you properly assess your progress and that of your clients? How can you achieve better results, more often, with a wider variety of clients? In short: how can you become a better therapist? In this book, Barry L. Duncan answers these questions and more by applying the ideas described in the bestselling The Heart and Soul of Change, now in its second edition. In this volume, Duncan examines the common factors inherent in all successful therapies and details the importance of the therapeutic alliance as a foundation of effective therapy. He provides clear and compelling advice for how therapists can systematically deal with clients who do not seem to improve over time. This advice is presented as a simple, five-step method of integrating honest, client-based outcome feedback with therapists' long-term professional development into a coherent and compelling whole. With lively case examples and unfailing good humor, Dr. Duncan's book is essential reading for anyone who seeks to rediscover purpose in their work and become a better therapist.

Genres: Psychology, Counselling

270 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for every therapist, no matter your discipline!

[Cheryl Van Dyke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would probably only be beneficial for the therapist who is very data driven.

[Taryn Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A a practitioner I have conflicting views about Duncan's approach. Which he has a lot of wisdom to share in this book for practitioners both young and old, I don't agree with his complete reliance on rating scales. Especially when he describes times when he outright ignores the client's wishes.

[BVC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Per la precisione è un "come implementare il Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS) per monitorare meglio la propria performance nell'intervento".

[culley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mostly about formally gathering feedback from therapy clients. Formal or otherwise, it is clear that client feedback is essential. There are good reasons to believe that if it isn't formal it doesn't happen - therapists get lazy and do not solicit feedback if it isn't built into the process. That said, having clients fill out forms at the beginning and ending of every session doesn't feel right to me, outside of big agency settings.

[Wade Fuqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every therapist needs to read this book, regardless of their training background. Duncan shares a very clear process for working with all clients and monitoring client progress. The Outcome Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale are simple measures, and when used in therapy are incredibly powerful. I have been using this process for about 6 weeks now and I will not turn back.