Abstract
Homework in psychological treatment refers to therapeutic activities completed between consultation sessions, which are collaboratively designed by the clinician and the client to promote progress toward therapeutic goals. Homework tasks provide clients with the opportunity to independently practice and extend the skills learned in therapy to the situations of their everyday lives.
Homework in treatment differs fundamentally from homework assignments that occur in education and school contexts, both in the way it is administered and in the way it is assessed. Homework in education contexts is usually prescribed, whereas it is collaboratively designed and planned in therapy. In school, homework assignments can be “passed” or “failed,” whereas in therapy a completed homework assignment may not be necessary for clinical utility.
A central issue for clinicians is how to inspire the client’s interest in and motivation for these emotional or otherwise testing therapeutic interventions. This issue is not limited to clinical psychology alone. Health practitioners attempting to engage their patients in a specific course of medication or healthy lifestyle practices, such as regular dental hygiene, diet, sleep, or exercise, face the same challenge. However, the specific issue in psychotherapy is that often the cause (and maintenance) of a client’s disorder is simultaneously both a target of homework adherence and a barrier to it. To deal with this challenge, clinicians need a sophisticated approach to facilitating client engagement, strong foundational counseling skills, as well as knowledge of modality-specific process, such as collaboration, empiricism, and guided questioning from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In addition, clinicians need to use specific strategies when selecting, planning, and reviewing homework. From this perspective, achieving client adherence to homework in treatment is attributable as much to the work of the clinician as it is to the motivation and decision-making processes of the client. This entry provides an overview of the research on homework in clinical practice, including its relation to treatment outcome, the distinction between homework quantity and quality, and the role of the clinician in promoting client adherence to homework tasks.
Homework in treatment differs fundamentally from homework assignments that occur in education and school contexts, both in the way it is administered and in the way it is assessed. Homework in education contexts is usually prescribed, whereas it is collaboratively designed and planned in therapy. In school, homework assignments can be “passed” or “failed,” whereas in therapy a completed homework assignment may not be necessary for clinical utility.
A central issue for clinicians is how to inspire the client’s interest in and motivation for these emotional or otherwise testing therapeutic interventions. This issue is not limited to clinical psychology alone. Health practitioners attempting to engage their patients in a specific course of medication or healthy lifestyle practices, such as regular dental hygiene, diet, sleep, or exercise, face the same challenge. However, the specific issue in psychotherapy is that often the cause (and maintenance) of a client’s disorder is simultaneously both a target of homework adherence and a barrier to it. To deal with this challenge, clinicians need a sophisticated approach to facilitating client engagement, strong foundational counseling skills, as well as knowledge of modality-specific process, such as collaboration, empiricism, and guided questioning from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In addition, clinicians need to use specific strategies when selecting, planning, and reviewing homework. From this perspective, achieving client adherence to homework in treatment is attributable as much to the work of the clinician as it is to the motivation and decision-making processes of the client. This entry provides an overview of the research on homework in clinical practice, including its relation to treatment outcome, the distinction between homework quantity and quality, and the role of the clinician in promoting client adherence to homework tasks.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology |
| Editors | Amy Wenzel |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Ltd |
| Pages | 1685-1686 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781483365831 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |
