Consider the following statements about clinical formulation in psychotherapy:
(A) Clinical formulation means stating the client's problem in the therapeutic model being used for the treatment.
(B) The choice of techniques depends on the clinical formulation and not on the therapeutic system in which the therapist was trained.
(C) Within a therapeutic system, the timing of techniques and the expected outcome of therapy depend upon the clinical formulation.
(D) A client who cannot hold a job because he cannot face his superiors would be formulated in behaviour therapy as lacking insight into past conflicts.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A and C only
(A) Clinical formulation means stating the client's problem in the therapeutic model being used for the treatment. — Correct. Clinical formulation is the client's problem put in the terms of the therapy model the therapist uses.
(B) The choice of techniques depends on the clinical formulation and not on the therapeutic system in which the therapist was trained. — Incorrect. The broad choice of techniques depends on the therapeutic system in which the therapist has been trained. Only within that system does the formulation decide the details.
(C) Within a therapeutic system, the timing of techniques and the expected outcome of therapy depend upon the clinical formulation. — Correct. Inside the therapist's system, the choice, timing and expected outcome of techniques all depend on the clinical formulation.
(D) A client who cannot hold a job because he cannot face his superiors would be formulated in behaviour therapy as lacking insight into past conflicts. — Incorrect. In behaviour therapy, such a client is formulated as having lack of assertiveness skills and anxiety. Insight into past conflicts is a psychodynamic idea.
NCERT (2026-27): “TYPE OF THERAPIES … “Identification of the areas to be targetted for treatment in psychotherapy formulation clearly identifies the problem areas to be targetted for therapy. Thus, if a client seeks help for inability to hold a job and reports inability to face superiors, the clinical formulation in behaviour therapy would state it as lack of assertiveness skills and anxiety. The target areas have thus been identified as inability to assert oneself and heightened anxiety. : The choice of techniques for treatment depends on the therapeutic system in which the therapist has been trained. However, even within this broad domain, the choice of techniques, timing of the techniques, and expectations of outcome of the therapy depend upon the clinical formulation. The clinical formulation is an ongoing process. …” |