A PROTOCOL ILLUSTRATING A COMPETENCE-BASED APPROACH TO COGNITIVE THERAPY

In competency-based psychotherapy the protocol serves as a map and compass for treatment, which enables both therapist and patient to know their location and direction at all times. A detailed protocol is presented that illustrates this approach to treatment as applied to cognitive therapy. The protocol divides treatment into stages; each stage is defined by a set of goals and a set of criteria for meeting these goals. Clients progress from one stage to the next after they have satisfied stage-specific criteria for success. This treatment design has the advantages of being replicable and easily tested. It appears to facilitate the formation of a collaborative therapeutic relationship and to quickly enhance clients' confidence in the therapeutic process and their own ability to learn.