Ultra-Brief Therapeutic Assessment with Three Chinese Adult Clients: A Case-Based Time-Series Pilot Study

Therapeutic Assessment (TA) is a relatively new, short-term intervention that uses psychological tests to address clients' persistent problems in living. The core feature of TA is that assessors and clients work collaboratively in all the phases of the process, and psychological tests are used as "empathy magnifiers" to help assessors understand clients' "dilemmas of change" and promote positive change. An "ultra-brief" TA protocol involving an Initial Session, Test Administration and Extended Inquiry, and Summary/Discussion Session was undertaken with three adult clients in China. A case-based time-series design with daily measures was used to assess the outcome of TA. Recruited in a natural setting, all 3 clients benefited from participation in the TA. These results suggest that Ultra-brief TA may be a promising treatment for Chinese adult clients with a variety of psychological concerns.