Homework in psychotherapy: what is its importance?

If you have never been to a psychologist, perhaps you do not know how common it is, in these cases, to set homework assignments.. If you have done psychotherapy, you may have found it strange to have to complete that series of exercises, you may even have found it unfair to have to dedicate time outside the session to continue working on your own. However, these activities are very important in the entire process.

It is worth mentioning that not all professionals use them, since the various psychological currents have their own procedures. However, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, which has been shown to be an effective intervention for many mental disorders, frequently makes use of them. For this reason, we want to tell you what they consist of and what purposes they serve.

Homework helps optimize the therapy process.

What are homework assignments in psychotherapy?

We are talking about a series of activities or exercises that the psychologist designs and proposes to the client to complete between sessions.. These tasks progressively increase in difficulty and, to a certain extent, guide the therapeutic process. Thus, it is common that in each meeting the first minutes are dedicated to reviewing these exercises and continuing to work based on the information they provide.

The scheduled tasks are agreed upon between patient and therapist, gradually involving the former in this task as the sessions progress. That is, he collaborates in the design of said activities to adapt them to his particular situation. In no case are they an imposition nor should they be seen as school duties; These are suggestions that help speed up and optimize the process. therapy and recovery.

It should also be taken into account that these homework assignments They serve different purposes depending on the moment. At the beginning of psychotherapy they help to establish a baseline, to better understand what the client thinks, feels and does, in what contexts and for what reasons. During the process they allow you to practice and internalize the progress; and, towards the end, they mainly seek to prevent relapses and consolidate changes.

What types of homework are usually scheduled?

There are different kinds of exercises that the therapist can propose to complement the work done in consultation.. Everything will depend on the problem to be worked on and the particular needs of the case. However, these are some of the most common homework assignments:

Registrations and self-registrations

This is one of the most useful tools, since allows you to detect, identify and understand problematic behaviors or cognitions, and then work on them. Self-recordings are frequently used, in which the patient notes the frequency of certain events (for example, a thought) and the context that surrounds them.

However, you can also ask a close person to collaborate and get involved in this record (for example, when we talk about nervous habits, it may be difficult for the person themselves to realize each time they start them).

Introspection and self-knowledge

If a person wants to get involved in their psychotherapy process, they must be open to knowing themselves, understanding themselves and exploring parts of their internal world that they may have previously overlooked. For this reason, it is possible that the professional asks the client reflect on a particular person, situation or event and capture your impressions in writing and feelings about it.

Writing has a great therapeutic effect and allows you to organize ideas and let out complicated emotions, making it a powerful exercise.

Bibliotherapy and cinematherapy

Written and audiovisual material can also be a good complement as it allows you to change the perspective with which you look at a problem, learn more about it, or acquire new skills.

So, As homework you can propose reading a book or fragment, or watching a movie consciously and committedly.. In the next session, reactions and impressions are shared and work is done on that material.

Practical exercises

Finally, different exercises that allow you to practice a coping skill or strategy. For example, it is common for the person to be instructed to regularly practice breathing and relaxation exercises, or to put into practice assertive techniques that have been learned in consultation.

Exposures to certain situations are also often scheduled to be carried out between sessions in the treatment of various anxiety disorders.

Breathing and relaxation exercises are very common as homework in psychological therapy.

The importance and usefulness of homework

These tasks are as important as consulting work, since completing them allows you to obtain various benefits:

Help to improve understanding about the personal situation and the problem to work on. They allow obtain more accurate and reliable information about problematic cognitions and behaviorsThey are very useful for practice skills and strengthen new ways of proceedingThey allow shorten treatment and make it more effectiveThey promote client autonomymaking him able to progress and manage himself without depending on the therapist

Despite these benefits, it is not uncommon for some people to show resistance to performing certain tasks or exercises. This may denote a lack of commitment to the process, but also doubts regarding the tasks or a high degree of complexity thereof..

For this reason, it is important that client and therapist work together in order to increase motivation, understand the importance of these tasks and be able to get the most out of them.

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