Client Assessment & Goal Setting Flashcards

During RTT intake, a client says they want to stop procrastinating at work. Which follow-up question BEST deepens the assessment?

Answer: 'What do you believe about yourself that causes you to procrastinate?'

RTT assessment seeks the underlying belief driving the behavior, not surface-level descriptions, because the belief is what the therapy targets.

A client describes their problem using very intellectual language and avoids emotional expression. What should the RTT practitioner do during assessment?

Answer: Gently guide the client to connect with the feelings underneath their story

Intellectualization can be a defense mechanism; skilled RTT practitioners compassionately guide clients toward emotional access needed for transformational work.

In the RTT framework, why is it important to assess whether a client's goal is 'toward' or 'away from' motivated?

Answer: Because moving toward a desired state creates stronger, more sustained motivation than moving away from a problem

Toward-motivated goals align with the brain's approach system, producing more durable change; RTT goal setting steers clients toward positive desired states.

A client reports that their anxiety began after a specific traumatic incident five years ago. How does this information affect RTT goal setting?

Answer: It suggests the regression should explore both the recent incident and any earlier sensitizing events that may have primed the response

RTT recognizes that a triggering event often activates earlier sensitizing experiences, so assessment and regression address the full timeline of the issue.

Which ethical principle must guide an RTT practitioner when setting goals collaboratively with a client?

Answer: Autonomy — the client's self-determined goals must be respected and central to the process

Respecting client autonomy means the client's own goals drive the therapeutic contract, with the practitioner serving as a skilled guide.

What does RTT assessment reveal when a client simultaneously wants to change a behavior AND expresses strong resistance to giving it up?

Answer: Ambivalence rooted in secondary gain or competing beliefs that must be explored before therapy proceeds

Ambivalence signals competing beliefs or secondary gains that RTT addresses directly to build true readiness for change.

After completing a thorough RTT intake assessment, what should the practitioner summarize back to the client before beginning the hypnosis session?

Answer: The client's presenting issue, identified root themes, and the agreed-upon transformation goal

Summarizing the issue, root themes, and goal aligns both parties, reinforces the therapeutic contract, and helps the client feel understood before hypnosis begins.