Evaluating Case Formulation Decision-Making and Therapist Responsiveness: A Perspective from the Area of Behavioral Assessment and Case Formulation

In this paper two research studies by Eells (2010) and Edwards (2010) evaluating case formulation and therapist responsiveness are summarized and critically evaluated. The central themes abstracted from these studies are subsequently articulated and integrated with existing research on the philosophical and theoretical competencies, clinical competencies, and quantitative competencies needed for effective case formulation. More specifically, I introduce and evaluate the work of Edwards and Eells in terms of a behavioral model of case formulation that is based on four general principles: functionalism; empiricism, cognitive-behavioral learning theory; and a multivariate perspective that stresses the importance of collecting multimodal and multimethod assessment data as the basis of a case formulation.