Horseshoe Crabs and Stingrays

Abstract

Abstract. Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment (CTA; Finn, 2007 ) offers a person-centered approach to understanding clients’ problems through mutual engagement with the client’s experience of the data-gathering process. Key tenets of CTA include empowering the client to shape their own assessment questions and goals and connecting with the client in an empathic and meaningful manner. These tenets map onto the core domains of interpersonal theory – that is, agency and communion ( Wiggins, 1996 ). Interpersonal theory can be utilized to conceptualize several different concerns that may arise through the client’s questions during CTA, such as their interpersonal traits, problems, sensitivities, and so on. The present article provides a case conceptualization that utilizes contemporary integrative interpersonal theory (CIIT; Pincus, 2005 ) to conceptualize an assessment client who presented with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and gastrointestinal problems. Through a multimethod assessment approach grounded in the CTA and CIIT frameworks, the assessor gained a deeper understanding of how the client’s presenting problems are tied to her interpersonal patterns. Finally, the present article explores how interpersonal processes that unfolded during the assessment sessions informed case conceptualization and treatment planning. The synthesis of CTA and CIIT offers promising avenues for new methods of understanding clients’ questions through the lens of interpersonal relationships.