A key part of clients improving are their resources. It all comes down to whether they want to improve and are motivated to use the tools they have to make their little adjustments. Even the simplest of changes can lead to life-changing results. How can you as a therapist make sure you are giving your client the best possible resources outside of a session? How do you encourage clients to apply the tools and strategies they are learning in therapy?
Patient Improvement
Research has proven that around two-thirds of those seeking therapy do improve in some way. If someone is motivated to seek out help for their mental health, chances are, they will be more motivated to listen to your advice and work through their problems. There will always be difficult cases, however, asking for help is the first and biggest step in their mental health journey.
Effectiveness of Homework
One way you can help your client get more out of therapy is to assign a focus or task to apply in between sessions, otherwise known as “homework.” This helps clients to see that the tools you teach them during sessions can be applied to real life. They learn to self-regulate their own emotions and in a way, they become their own therapist. It’s important for everyone to have better self-esteem and emotional resilience as they face life. Don’t forget the role you play in helping people find that!
In 2010, a review was done of 23 studies on the efficacy of homework in therapy. 23 of the studies found that those who completed their homework had better treatment outcomes. Another study found that clients who completed homework reported better outcomes than 70% of those without homework. Just as homework helps you practice learning concepts in school, homework in therapy helps clients practice healthy thinking patterns and coping techniques outside of therapy sessions.
Data-driven, Personalized Homework
However, it is not effective to just assign homework at random. Each client has different needs and each client may have different needs from session to session. One study found that homework only reaches its full potential when therapists are constantly re-evaluating and making sure it fits the needs of their clients. That is best done on a session-to-session basis as you are tracking their progress and seeing what works.
Tools for Success: Ascendant Tracker
This leads to the question of how a therapist is supposed to have such individualized homework assignments and make sure that data drives every decision. This is where a tool like Ascendant Tracker comes in to help! Ascendant Tracker is a simple software that allows clients to record and journal about their experiences in between sessions and share them with their therapist. Therapists can customize the journal section of the app to fit the needs of the patient and incorporate in between-session homework.
Ascendant Tracker is a great way to assess a patient’s progress. The software allows you to view data over time and analyze a patient's progress through live tracking, journal entries, symptom logs, and clinical assessments. Rather than waiting for each session to evaluate where a client is at, why not use a program like Ascendant Tracker to see how they are doing before sessions? This allows you as a therapist to be prepared to address their specific needs before they even step foot into your door.
Utilizing tools like Ascendant Tracker will allow you to be more prepared and feel supported as a therapist, while also feeling like you are able to see your clients improve beyond their sessions with you.
Citations:
Effective therapy. The Michigan School of Psychology (MSP). (2019, May 10). Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://msp.edu/effective-therapy/.
Mausbach, B. T., Moore, R., Roesch, S., Cardenas, V., & Patterson, T. L. (2010, October). The relationship between homework compliance and therapy outcomes: An updated meta-analysis. Cognitive therapy and research. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2939342/.
Sussex Publishers. (n.d.). How much does homework matter in therapy? Psychology Today. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cbt-and-me/201704/how-much-does-homework-matter-in-therapy.
Team, G. T. E. (2019, October 7). Assigning homework in cognitive behavioral therapy. GoodTherapy. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/for-professionals/software-technology/practice-management/article/assigning-homework-in-cognitive-behavioral-therapy.
Yovel, I., & Safren, S. A. (2007). Measuring Homework Utility in Psychotherapy: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as an Example. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 31(3), 385–399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-006-9065-2