To aid in making a realistic appraisal of the therapist after therapy has begun and a relationship has been established, a list of seventeen questions follows.
Responses are scored from 0 to 4; 0 equals never or not at all; 1 slightly or occasionally; 2 sometimes or moderately; 3 a great deal or most of the time; and 4 markedly or all of the time.
Circle the number (or write down on a separate sheet) that best reflects your feelings and observations and then obtain a total score.
1.I feel comfortable with the therapist.
0 1 2 3 4
2.The therapist seems to be comfortable with me.
0 1 2 3 4
3.The therapist is casual and informal rather than stiff and informal.
0 1 2 3 4
4.The therapist does not treat me as if I am sick, defective, and about to fall apart.
0 1 2 3 4
5.The therapist is flexible and open to new ideas rather than pursuing a rigid point of view.
0 1 2 3 4
6.The therapist has a good sense of humor and a pleasant disposition.
0 1 2 3 4
7.The therapist is willing to tell me how he/she feels about me.
0 1 2 3 4
8.The therapist admits limitations and does not pretend to know things he/she does not know.
0 1 2 3 4
9.The therapist is very willing to acknowledge being wrong and apologizes for making errors or for being inconsiderate instead of justifying this kind of behavior.
0 1 2 3 4
10.The therapist answers direct questions rather than simply asking me what I think.
0 1 2 3 4
11.The therapist reveals things about herself/himself either spontaneously or in response to my inquiries (but not by bragging and talking incessantly and irrelevantly).
0 1 2 3 4
12.The therapist encourages the feeling that I am as good as he/she is.
0 1 2 3 4
13.The therapist acts as if he/she is my consultant rather than the manager of my life.
0 1 2 3 4
14.The therapist encourages differences of opinion rather than telling me that I am resisting if I disagree with him/her.
0 1 2 3 4
15.The therapist is interested in seeing people who share my life (or at least is willing to do so); this would include my significant other
0 1 2 3 4
16.The things the therapist says make sense to me.
0 1 2 3 4
17.In general, my contacts with the therapist lead to my feeling more hopeful and having higher self-acceptance and I can see progress.
0 1 2 3 4
Scoring
A perfect score on this instrument (68) is most unlikely. A rating above the mid-forties is an indication of a sound choice; a rating between 35 and 40 is borderline and a score below that is indicative of a poor choice.
Agreement
In individual therapy it is only important for one person to connect with the therapist. In couple therapy, it is important that the therapist chosen be acceptable to both partners. If the therapist becomes an issue it will likely to add to an already strain–burdened relationship. As suggested earlier, it may take several sessions before a reasonable judgment can be made. Sometimes there is an obvious match and a much quicker decision will be rendered.