Patients, who need psychotherapy care needs to be handled with a significant amount of care. This is because such patients are delicate and that the way they are handled may deteriorate their condition. Choosing the right kind of psychotherapy is part of handling such patient.
This is because psychotherapy does not function in isolation and is dependent on other factors. These factors include the type of the relationship established, as well as the technique applied. While these two variables are useful, there are basic fundamental principles which facilitate the success of psychotherapy.
Moreover, generalized clinical solutions may not necessarily work for individual patients. As such it is vital to provide evidence based healthcare, which facilitates individualized treatment programs for the patient. In this case where the patient feels the need to make the right choice, there are certain basis issues that need to be put into perspective. This will enable the client identify the most suitable form of psychotherapy plan
There has been numerous research studies conducted on the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Within these research studies, the researchers have focused on numerous variables that can alter the findings.
Despite the varied opinions of these researchers, they have all arrived at one conclusion: that psychotherapy works and that there is no any significant variation in psychotherapy outcomes, whether it is accompanied by medication or not (Butcher, Mineka and Hooley, 2010).
This implies that the patient should take psychotherapy which is not accompanied by any form of medication. This is due to the realization that medication does not alter the efficacy of psychotherapy.
Moreover, medication for such clinical conditions may have side effects, thus the need to avoid it at all cost. Research studies also reveal that a majority of patients who need psychotherapy have multiple problems which need complex solutions (Butcher et al., 2010). In this regard, it is not wise for patient in this case to exclusively choose any type of psychotherapy such as cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapist among others.
This is because such approaches to psychotherapy are limited and are only suited to treat certain types of psychological issues. General psychotherapy is aimed at evaluating, analyzing identifying related conditions. For the patient to receive comprehensive diagnosis it would be wise to avoid any special type of psychotherapy.
It is important to recognize that each patient has special needs and that each of the clinical condition is unique in every patient (Butcher et al., 2010). As such patients seeking psychotherapy treatment needs to understand that their needs are uniquely personal and that general remedies may not necessarily be effective for that particular condition.
In this case the biggest question for his patient is how to access evidence based patient care; evidence based healthcare requires that the clinician maintain contact with the patient for long duration, as the clinicians studies the development of that patients condition. The need for evidence based care is to allow the clinician to have sufficient time to diagnose and categorize the patient as either complex or worse.
Furthermore, the clinician, using the evidence based method will be able to categorize the particular patient condition as either mild moderate or complex. The psychotherapy patient will benefit from this type of healthcare since the clinician will be able to develop tailor made psychotherapy.
Furthermore, the clinician will be able to assess the efficacy of the treatment plan for and make adjustments according to emerging needs, should there be any. Such individualized treatment plan will also enable the patient to gain a deeper understating of the condition, and as such the patient becomes actively involved in the treatment process.
Despite the findings that the outcomes of psychotherapy are not varied by the presence of other types of medication, it is imperative to state that psychotherapy does not work in isolation of other variables (Butcher et al., 2010). This implies that there are other factors that influence the efficacy of psychotherapy.
Generally psychotherapy revolves around the relationship between the patient and the psychotherapist. There are a number of factors that determine this relationship. These include the warmth and comfort generated during the process of psychotherapy. This implies that the effectiveness of tailor-made psychotherapeutic plan for the patient in this case is highly dependent on the type of relationship that evolves between the patient and the psychotherapist.
It is difficult to predict the nature of relationship that there might evolve between the patient and the clinician while at the stage in which the clinician is being chosen. However, it is still possible to track the development of the patient clinician relationship by evaluating the patients comment about the clinician.
If the patients voices dissatisfaction, any form of disapproval of the clinician or any method of treatment prescribed, it thus becomes necessary to withdraw the patient from that particular psychotherapist. Such kind of disapproval is an indication of the fact that the patient has lost faith in the clinician and since research suggests that such factors affect that the outcomes of psychotherapy, then it will be wise to seek an alternative.
Suffice to say that the patient clinician relationship plays a very significant part in determining the nature of the outcomes. Thus, it is vital to keep alternating clinicians until the right kind of patient clinician relationship is established. Furthermore, developing this type of relationship is part of tailor-made psychotherapy plan.
The purpose of seeking psychotherapy is to facilitate therapeutic changes in the patients. As explained earlier, the relationship between the patient and the psychotherapist plays a significant role in facilitating therapy. Furthermore, techniques of therapy such as cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, psychodynamic therapist have been found to be ineffective.
This is not to mean that the role of technique in facilitating therapy should be downplayed. To some extent these techniques also motivates successful therapy. The question however is not on which of the two; relationship and techniques, is more effective than the other.
This implies that for this case, it is vital to identify the basic principles which facilitate successful therapy. For instance if it is found out that the psychotherapist is too involved (in the relationship) instead of acting the patient will be withdrawn as this type of relationship is unhealthy.
Choosing a psychotherapist is not just a mater of locating one who will be able to handle the patient in question. It is imperative to note the while choosing a psychotherapist for the patient in this particular case, it is vital to consider a number of fundamental issues. These issues are vital since they facilitate individualized and patient based care. This will be to the advantage of the patient since the treatment plan will be focused on the patient. As such the efficacy of psychotherapy will be achieved.
Reference
Butcher, J. N., Mineka, S., and Hooley, J. M. (2010). Abnormal psychology (14th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon