ABSTRACT
Psychotherapy can occur in different interpersonal contexts – individual, couple, family and group therapy – as well as within a larger therapeutic community. I (WD) call these contexts therapeutic arenas (Dryden 1984). In our experience, different clients thrive in different therapeutic arenas and we suggest that you ask yourself ‘Which therapeutic arena is most productive for my client at this point in the therapeutic process?’ While there are no hard and fast rules here, it seems sensible to outline for clients the different therapeutic arenas and their advantages and disadvantages and then help them to make a choice. If clients are given a choice and then provided with an intervention that is in line with their choice, this is more effective than offering them an intervention that they have not chosen.
