Readiness Assessment - How Do You Know When Someone Can Benefit from Psychotherapy?

This is a question that many family members have once they
reach that point of doubt. You know what I mean. Doubt that
the patient will be anything other than what they are.

It is also a question I get from the family members that
are entangled co-dependently with the identified patient.
It is the question of someone with resistance of their own.

Answering this question for yourself and for those
intimately involved with the patient can aid in
establishing an alliance and collaborative commitment to
psychotherapeutic change.

The following readiness assessment is how I know when an
identified patient is a good candidate for psychotherapy...

1) Their resistance is porous.

Resistance is a natural part of the therapeutic process. It
is the psyche holding its own in the face of perceived
threat to alter the way things are.

It is our natural boundary that works as a barrier against
the threat of being anything other than what is. It is that
within all of us that aids in maintaining the status quo.

Patients that are good candidates for psychotherapy have a
porous resistance. It has a supple quality to it that
moves, bends and opens with their inner inquiry.

2) They have easy access to their inner world.

By inner world I mean the personal datum that contributes
who and what you are psychologically, mentally,
emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually. Some
people when directed to the place within themselves where
they feel things can taste it, whereas others cannot.

3) Their readiness factor is above 90.

Readiness is key to any kind of therapeutic change. One
must want things to be different than they are. And they
must want it in a way that they are willing to entertain
giving up what is...to have it...to become it...to open
unto it.

I'm reminded of a passage by Anaire Nin that says this so
well: "And the day came...when the desire to remain the
same was more painful than the risk...to grow."

If you are a therapist or a family member of a person who
needs psychological help, and you are scratching your head
wondering if there is any point to proceeding with a
therapeutic intervention, then you will benefit by being
mindful of the readiness assessment and candidacy
requirements listed above. It will save you time and it
will save the patient both time and money.

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For more information about psychotherapy and counseling,
visit http://www.enddomesticabuse.org/consulting.html Dr.
Jeanne King, Ph.D. is a seasoned psychologist and
consulting expert on family violence intervention and
prevention. Copyright 2009 Jeanne King, Ph.D.

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