Personalizing Psychotherapy: Assessing and Accommodating Patient Preferences

Patient preferences are an essential element of effective psychotherapy and evidence-based practice, but what are the specific ways in which clinicians should go about assessing and accommodating those preferences? Psychologists John Norcross and Mick Cooper have spent many years researching this area, including developing the Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP). This workshop, drawing from their APA book Personalizing Psychotherapy, reviews the latest research evidence and clinical guidance in this area. They introduce several methods to rapidly assess strong preferences in session, present ways to incorporate such preferences into psychological treatment, and discuss the potential contraindications of doing so.

• Assess a client’s treatment and relationship preferences in ways that can improve outcomes.
• Apply the evidence-based method of patient preferences to individualize psychotherapy for each patient.

John C. Norcross, PhD, ABPP, and Mick Cooper, PhD