ABSTRACT
In addition to broad common factors of change discussed in Chapter 2, there is a group of factors that are narrow and that achieve effects in therapy that lead to therapeutic change. Each therapy model uses change strategies or change mechanisms to achieve therapeutic effects (large and small outcomes). In this chapter, we focus on three therapeutic effects: (1) changing the thinking (shifts in attributions, meanings and views of the problem or situation), (2) changing the doing (shifts in behaviors that lead to shifts in problems) and (3) changing the experience (related to shifts in emotions or in experiencing of the problem, relationship or situation). While the overall goal of therapy can be a large therapeutic effect, smaller steps toward the overall goal are made up of smaller therapeutic effects that occur over the course of therapeutic treatment.
