The table describes three advantages of clinical formulation, labelled P, Q and R. Identify P, Q and R.
| Advantage | What clinical formulation gives the therapist |
|---|---|
| P | A client who cannot hold a job and cannot face superiors is formulated as lacking assertiveness skills and having anxiety, so these become the focus of therapy. |
| Q | Which methods are used, when they are used, and what outcome is expected are decided on its basis. |
| R | The therapist sees the full implications of the distress being experienced by the client. |
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → P - Identification of target areas; Q - Choice of techniques for treatment; R - Understanding of the problem
Option (1) P - Understanding of the problem; Q - Choice of techniques for treatment; R - Identification of target areas — Incorrect. P and R are swapped. Naming a job problem as lack of assertiveness and anxiety marks the areas to be targeted. Seeing the full implications of the distress is understanding of the problem.
Option (2) P - Choice of techniques for treatment; Q - Identification of target areas; R - Understanding of the problem — Incorrect. P and Q are swapped. Deciding the methods, their timing and the expected outcome is the choice of techniques.
Option (3) P - Identification of target areas; Q - Choice of techniques for treatment; R - Understanding of the problem — Correct. P names the areas to work on (lack of assertiveness skills and anxiety). Q covers which techniques, when, and what outcome. R is the therapist understanding the full implications of the client's distress.
Option (4) P - Identification of target areas; Q - Understanding of the problem; R - Choice of techniques for treatment — Incorrect. Q and R are swapped. Deciding methods and expected outcome is the choice of techniques. Seeing the full implications of the distress is understanding of the problem.
NCERT (2026-27): “TYPE OF THERAPIES … “: The therapist is able to understand the full implications” “of the distress being experienced by the client. …” “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. …” |