DIRECTIVE THERAPY

Directive therapy is a short-term therapy geared towards achieving specific, attainable goals. As the name suggests, the therapist is firmly in control, giving the client clear instructions as to how best to resolve their complaints. Directive therapy is a practical means of treating certain symptoms. It is particularly suited to clients suffering from obvious complaints who do not have a particular need for personal growth or a form of therapy that helps them to gain an understanding of their problem. Clients must have confidence in both the therapy and the therapist, and should firmly believe that their complaints are capable of being eradicated. Directive therapy is a form of ‘eclectic therapy’. In other words, rather than following a fixed, standard procedure, the therapist decides on a case-by-case basis what type of treatment is likely to be best suited to the client in question.