The table shows how clinical formulation helps a therapist. Which advantage of clinical formulation is shown in row (b)?
| Row | What the clinical formulation does for the therapist |
|---|---|
| (a) | The therapist grasps the full implications of the distress the client is feeling. |
| (b) | A client who cannot hold a job and cannot face superiors is seen as lacking assertiveness skills and as anxious; these become the focus of therapy. |
| (c) | The formulation decides which techniques are used, their timing and the outcome expected from therapy. |
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Identification of the areas to be targetted for treatment
Option (1) Understanding of the problem of the client — Incorrect. Understanding of the problem means the therapist grasps the full implications of the client's distress. That is row (a). Row (b) goes a step further and names what therapy will work on.
Option (2) Identification of the areas to be targetted for treatment — Correct. Row (b) turns the client's complaint into clear targets for therapy: lack of assertiveness skills and anxiety. Naming the problem areas to work on is the advantage called identification of the areas to be targetted for treatment.
Option (3) Choice of techniques for treatment — Incorrect. Choice of techniques means the formulation decides which techniques to use, when to use them and what result to expect. That is row (c). Row (b) names the targets.
Option (4) Reformulation of the problem during therapy — Incorrect. Reformulation happens when new clinical insights come up as therapy goes on. It shows that formulation is an ongoing process. It is not one of the three advantages, and row (b) shows no change in the formulation.
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. …” |