ABSTRACT
Assessment has to do with a careful consideration of what the client is bringing to therapy and the ways in which this might be understood. These insights and understandings can then be translated into a relevant `treatment plan' or way of proceeding that is likely to address the client's issues and the related goals for therapy. We have referred to our use of DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) formulations as one way of understanding what the client is bringing; we also recommend the work of Johnson (1994) in this regard. However, we would argue for a collaborative approach to the assessment process so that we do stay experience-near and willing to adopt the language that the client is using to talk about their dif®- culties. O'Brien and Houston (2007) highlight the importance of attending to the ®t between therapist and client as part of the assessment process, making the point that research studies consistently emphasize the interaction of therapist qualities, client characteristics and relational factors. From this point of view the outcome of an assessment might be to refer the client on to a suitable colleague.
