Exam 5: Being Client-Centered: Understanding Interpersonal Characteristics and Mode Preferences

When an otherwise polite and easygoing client sounds irritable and raises her voice slightly at an occupational therapist because the occupational therapist did not follow through on a promise, her response may be situational in that it may be appropriate, normative, and reflective of the situation she is facing.

Whether a client wants to share a lot and needs a lot of empathy from the relationship or just wants to get down to business and avoid anything too personal is defined as:

The occupational therapist on the inpatient acute care unit at a local hospital is assigned to Ms. Filmore, who just had a total knee replacement. For the past three sessions, Ms. Filmore has consistently asked the therapist numerous questions, demanded to change the goals and course of therapy, and asked the therapist to cite the evidence base behind his approach. In addition to difficulties with trust, what enduring client characteristic is likely being exhibited?

It is important to differentiate between the client's situational and enduring characteristics because (although both types of client characteristics must be responded to therapeutically) the nature and extent of the response should be stronger and more direct when the interpersonal behaviors are enduring.

Understanding a client's need for control can help guide a therapist's choice of modes when using the Intentional Relationship Model (IRM) to guide one's interpersonal behavior in therapy.

Which of the following definitions accurately represents the Intentional Relationship Model (IRM) view of client-centeredness?

It is critical that the therapist demonstrates a capacity to assess and accurately respond to the client's mode preferences as the means of understanding how to best meet the client's interpersonal needs.

Which of the following is not a characteristic that an occupational therapist should attend to in attempting to understand the interpersonal characteristics of a client?

A therapist working in a neurosurgery intensive care unit notices that a client's manner of speech is unusual in that he speaks excessively and with heightened affect. According to the Intentional Relationship Model (IRM), what category of client characteristic should the therapist think about when establishing rapport with this client?