Adaptive Counseling and Therapy

This article presents an integrative model for selecting a progression of therapist styles as clients move through developmental stages during the course of counseling and psychotherapy. The model, Adaptive Counseling and Therapy (ACT), suggests an eclectic approach to the utilization of techniques in therapy. The ACT approach is compared and contrasted with other integrative models that suggest an eclectic practice of therapy, with both similarities and divergent recommendations being noted. ACT is intended to be useful to practitioners in case conceptualization and in the application of effective treatment planning. The assessment instruments required to operationalize the central constructs of ACT theory are presented and described, and data on both the instruments' psychometric adequacy and the relationship of ACT constructs to therapy outcome are reviewed. Finally, the ways in which ACT can serve as a rich heuristic device for counseling practice, research, and supervision are delineated.