A brief, multidimensional measure of clients’ therapy preferences: The Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP)

Résumé 0

"Addressing and accommodating client preferences in psychotherapy have been consistentlyassociated with improved treatment outcomes; however, few clinically useful andpsychometrically acceptable measures are available for this purpose. The aim of this study wasto develop a brief, multidimensional clinical tool to help clients articulate the therapist stylethey desire in psychotherapy or counseling. An online survey composed of 40 therapy preferenceitems was completed by 860 respondents, primarily female (n = 699), British (n = 650),White (n = 761), and mental health professionals themselves (n = 615). Principal componentsanalysis resulted in four scales that accounted for 39% of the total variance: Therapist Directivenessvs. Client Directiveness, Emotional Intensity vs. Emotional Reserve, Past Orientationvs. Present Orientation, and Warm Support vs. Focused Challenge. These scales map well ontodimensions of therapist activity and cover most of the major preference dimensions identified inthe research literature. Internal consistency coefficients ranged between .60 and .85 (M = .71).Tentative cutoff points for strong preferences on each dimension were established. The 18-itemCooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NIP) is a multidimensional measure with clinicalutility, but additional validity data are needed."