ABSTRACT
Some views of the essence of effective treatment accentuate treatment strategies, whereas others have focused on client factors or the client–therapist relationship. This chapter describes the viewpoint developed by Larry Beutler and others that concentrates on articulating principles of change across all of these dimensions. Beutler is a researcher who doubles as a perpetual-motion machine. Some of Beutler's guidelines center on the type of client, some on the type of treatment, some on relationship factors, and some on the interactions between these kinds of factors. Beutler's first set of guidelines focuses on client predisposing variables, such as level of distress and coping style. Beutler's second set of guidelines is concerned with the level and intensity of care, such as choosing the frequency of sessions or choosing among group, family, and individual therapy. Beutler's third set of guidelines focuses on the intervention, relationship, and skill factors the therapist brings to the therapy, such as the therapeutic alliance.
