Directions for the Intergration of Homework In practice

The Process of Change in Psychotherapy: Common and Unique Factors

“…One example of an empirically supported unique variable is homework. The incorporation of explicit and cooperatively assigned homework into psychotherapy is largely unique to cognitive-behavioral therapy (though it must be noted that integrative work in other orientations has sometimes incorporated this as well; Nelson et al 2005). Burns and Nolen-Hoeksema (1991) have shown that client rates of completion of therapist-suggested self-help homework predict outcome of therapy in cognitive therapy for depression.…”

Negotiating Post-Consultation ‘Homework’ Tasks Between Counselors and Clients

“…To paraphrase family counselor Karl Tomm (1988), the kinds of questions a counselor asks owes something to what they want to hear back from clients. D's wording invites G to fashion her own homework, in a sense, based on what she wants to take forward from their earlier talk; homework relevant to G because it is on her terms (Nelson et al 2007). Worth noting are the initial eight lines it took for D to find words that set the invitational context in ways G could respond to.…”

“…1-Consistent with Nelson et al (2007), the analysis shows how it is important that homework be tailored to client goals, incorporating clients' responses within the course of homework discussions regarding their life contexts (i.e., where the homework will be enacted), resources and preferences. 2-Our general analyses showed that homework invites a different style of discourse than preceding discussions of problems and potential solutions.…”

“…Clinical inferences have been derived about what constitutes effective homework use by counselors (Nelson et al 2007), but research on conversational interactions between clients and counselors pertaining to homework has not, to our knowledge, been conducted.…”

Do Therapeutic Homework Assignments Address Areas of Need for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness?

“…Homework serves a number of important functions in clinical practice. These include increasing the amount of time that the person spends engaged in therapeutic activities (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979;Nelson, Castonguay, & Barwick, 2007), promoting the generalization of skills to the individuals living environment (Shelton & Levy, 1981) and encouraging the active involvement of the person in the treatment process (Rees, McEvoy, & Nathan, 2005).…”