Assessment
Client Theory of Change Template
Document what a client believes will help them — so the treatment approach enters through their frame rather than contradicting it.
Clients whose treatment approach matches their model of how change happens stay in therapy at significantly higher rates than clients whose model is ignored or overridden. This template captures a client’s theory of change from the first session and flags any mismatch between it and the therapist’s planned approach before the second session begins.
Complete after the first session. Review before each of the first four sessions to track whether the approach remains calibrated to the client’s frame as the work deepens.
Client Theory of Change Template
Client (initials or identifier): Date (session 1):
The client’s stated goal
What did the client say they wanted from therapy? Record as close to their exact words as possible:
The client’s model of the problem
What does the client believe caused or maintains the problem they came in with?
The client’s model of change
What does the client believe would need to happen for things to change? (This is often implicit — infer from how they described the problem and what they’ve tried):
What the client has tried
List what the client said they have already attempted, and what was and was not helpful:
| What they tried | What was helpful | What was not helpful |
|---|---|---|
Theory of change classification
Based on the above, the client’s primary model appears to be:
( ) Insight-oriented: understanding why things are this way is what produces change
( ) Behavioral: doing something differently is what produces change
( ) Relational: being fully understood by another person is what produces change
( ) Practical: solving the specific presenting problem is what produces change
( ) Combination:
Supporting observations:
Alignment assessment
Does your planned approach match this model?
( ) Yes — well aligned
( ) Partially — some alignment, some mismatch
( ) No — significant mismatch
If there is a mismatch, describe it specifically:
How will you adjust to enter through the client’s frame first?
Reviews across the first month
Use this section to note whether the alignment holds as the work deepens:
Before session 2: Any new information about the client’s model? Any adjustment needed?
Before session 3:
Before session 4:
Generated with Rapport7 — rapport7.com