Choosing Therapy by Ilyana Romanovsky

Author:Ilyana Romanovsky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: undefined
Published: 2012-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Let me state the obvious and remind all my readers that just like any other service, psychotherapy is a business and should be viewed as such. Every business has a price tag and a typical client will be likely paying out of pocket for therapeutic services. It is obvious that faith alone should not keep any patient in psychotherapy, particularly if service costs are exceptionally high. According to a recent report, the number of mental health clinicians continues to be on the rise and it is clear that providers have to be increasingly competitive in the services that they deliver. The recent shift in paradigm where development of services was based purely on faith is no longer something that is in demand. In contemporary medical practices, there is little doubt that certain treatments will work based on supporting scientific research. As such, it is not surprising that this concept can and should be applied to therapy as well. After all, monitoring whether specific symptoms are subsiding based on a technique or a given theory of psychotherapy used is clearly something that can confirm the efficacy of any treatment. Thus EBP is not just a phrase that is frequently used to describe treatments that work, but is quickly becoming a mandated piece of clinical practice.

Other factors influencing treatment success that are common across all patient demographics and influence the course of therapy are family functioning and motivation. Interpersonal family functioning is an influential factor in treatment. Caregiver strain can also have an effect on patient participation in treatment. The associated increased stress, anxiety, and demand on raising a child with mental illness or behavioral issues have been tied to higher demand for mental health care.[3] Thus, parental involvement in the therapeutic process has been shown to have effects on clinical outcomes.

Much like family functioning, motivation and participation in therapy is another identified predictor of therapeutic success. Motivation and willingness to participate in treatment cannot be examined in the context of patient-related commitment to treatment, but can only be understood in the context of a therapeutic bond between a client and a therapist. I can generalize in stating that patient participation increases if a good match of services provided and a strong therapeutic connection with a particular clinician exists. Therapeutic alliance has been cited as one of the most effective components to successful outcomes in treatment.[4] A strong therapeutic alliance might play an even bigger role in adolescent and child mental health care. There are several reasons for why that is the case. First, a good therapeutic relationship between a therapist and a client, who is a minor, facilitates the necessary change mechanism that is the goal of therapy. Second, it functions as a thermometer in the interventions applied during treatment. Lastly, a good therapeutic relationship with a minor can affect outcomes in parental engagement. Treatment can focus on directly changing parental behaviors that affect a child’s treatment, provide adherence to treatment and appointment attendance, and promote relevant treatment gains outside therapy sessions.

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