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In Our Clients' Shoes

Theory and Techniques of Therapeutic Assessment

  • Price: $42.50 $38.25
  • Hardback: 320 pages
  • Published: February 2007
  • ISBN: 978-0-8058-5764-1
  • Publisher: Routledge

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Series: Counseling and Psychotherapy Series.

In Our Clients’ Shoes conveniently assembles a number of important papers on the Therapeutic Assessment approach in one resource, explicating its history, theory, techniques, as well as its impact on clients and assessors. Author Stephen E. Finn incorporates pieces presented at various conferences over the past 13 years, in addition to previously unpublished work, with the intent to allow psychologists greater insight into their clients’ perspectives.

Arranged in three sections, the first set of papers describes the history and development of Therapeutic Assessment, including personal experiences of the author, which ultimately led him to focus on psychological assessment as a potential therapeutic intervention. The second section follows with a variety of essays to illustrate particular techniques of collaborative and Therapeutic Assessment. In this section, readers gain an understanding of how to integrate test findings, engage clients in discussing their experiences of a test, conduct assessment intervention sessions, and teach Therapeutic Assessment to graduate students. Finn concludes by drawing a link between Therapeutic Assessment and two major schools of psychotherapy: intersubjectivity theory and control-mastery theory. He also discusses how assessors grow and change as a result of practicing psychological assessment, and addresses practical matters such as when to apply the approach, how to bill for Therapeutic Assessment sessions, how to market Therapeutic Assessment, and where to find professional support for this kind of work.

In Our Clients’ Shoes is appropriate for all clinicians who wish to further impact the lives of their clients and enhance their own wisdom, compassion, and personal and professional development.

Table of Contents

Contents: Fischer, Foreword. Preface. Part I: The History and Development of Therapeutic Assessment. Introduction: What Is Therapeutic Assessment? Appreciating the Power and Potential of Psychological Assessment. Therapeutic Assessment: Would Harry Approve? How Therapeutic Assessment Became Humanistic, with Mary E. Tonsager. Part II: Specific Techniques of Therapeutic Assessment. Testing One’s Own Clients Mid-Therapy With the Rorschach. Giving Clients Feedback About “Defensive” Test Protocols. Assessment Feedback Integrating MMPI-2 and Rorschach Findings. Assessment Intervention Sessions: Using “Softer” Tests to Demonstrate “Harder” Test Findings to Clients. One-Up, One-Down, and in Between: A Systemic Model of Assessment Consultation. Therapeutic Assessment of a Man With “ADD”. Collaborative Sequence Analysis of the Rorschach. Using the Consensus Rorschach as an Assessment Intervention With Couples. “But I Was Only Trying to Help!”: Failure of a Therapeutic Assessment. Collaborative Child Assessment as a Family Systems Intervention. Teaching Therapeutic Assessment in a Required Graduate Course. Part III: Theoretical Developments. Please Tell Me That I’m Not Who I Fear I Am: Control-Mastery Theory and Therapeutic Assessment. Challenges and Lessons of Intersubjectivity Theory for Psychological Assessment. How Psychological Assessment Taught Me Compassion and Firmness. Conclusion: Practicing Therapeutic Assessment.

Reviews

"Dr. Finn’s revelations have breathed fresh air into assessment practice. His illustrative cases and self examples are inspiring and provide the impetus for assessment professionals to make changes in the way they conceive of and practice assessment. This book is a must-read for psychologists who want to make a difference in the lives of children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families with their psychological assessments!" Deborah Tharinger, University of Texas, Austin, USA

"This book is a delightful blend of useful theory, clinical wisdom, helpful guidelines, and illustrative cases. Every chapter is filled with ideas on how to more effectively approach clients. I particularly enjoyed the warm, engaging, personal style of Dr. Finn who candidly presents both his successful cases as well as those cases that had not worked out. In both cases he extracts useful lessons for the practicing clinician. This book provides a perfect bridge for professional psychologists who know the technical aspects of assessment but who now want to use this knowledge to facilitate client change. I will certainly be assigning it for future courses I teach in assessment." - Gary Groth-Marnat, Pacifica Graduate Institute, USA