| Summary: | Finn (2007) developed a procedure that uses psychological assessment tools
towards therapeutic ends known as Therapeutic Assessment (TA). The Assessment
Intervention session was later developed as part of the TA as an improved method of
preparing clients for feedback. The dynamics and effectiveness of this stage of TA have
not been studied to date. The current study used a time-series design to follow two clients
as they took part in a TA intervention. Participants were involved in ongoing therapy at
the time of the study. Participants completed brief, daily measures related to their
reported symptoms and presenting concerns before, during, and after the TA. In addition,
clients completed longer, standardized measures of psychological symptomatology and
therapy progress. Clients and the assessor (Dr. Stephen Finn) were interviewed about
their experiences of the Assessment Intervention session and the resulting text was coded
and interpreted according to a modified Grounded Theory Method. A time-series analysis
revealed that neither client reported improvement on any of the daily measures of
symptoms when comparing baseline and post-TA intervention periods. However, one
client saw improvements during the TA period only and both clients saw global
improvements in the scores reported on the standardized measures. In addition, clients
reported satisfaction with the TA and, while therapists reported positive results regarding
therapy progress, clients’ reports were mixed. Finally, qualitative feedback from
participants revealed that clients and assessor experienced the Assessment Intervention as
evoking something familiar but also new for the clients. The integration of the new and the familiar had to be carefully balanced for the clients to be able to experience the
Assessment Intervention as beneficial. The context of narrative, a supportive relationship
with the assessor, and strong, memory-linking feelings and insights were important for
the positive integration of the new experiences. === text
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