Following problem identification and initial exploration, the practitioner attempts to formulate the problem with the client to arrive at a mutual understanding of the target of their change efforts. Usually practitioners initiate the process by stating the central concerns clients have expressed. This formulation is not a simple summary, however. Practitioners attempt to frame the problem in a way most likely to foster constructive problem-solving actions on the client's part while still reflecting the client's own concerns. To set the stage for client tasks, the problem statement should reflect how clients might act differently to obtain what they want.
For example, Sarah Robbins has voiced many complaints about her aged mother, whom she takes care of (and who refuses to be seen). Mother still tries to run her life, doesn't show any appreciation of all she does for her, and loses her temper over the slightest provocation. At this general level the problem might be formulated in terms of the mother's difficult behavior, in terms of the strain between them, or in terms of Sarah's difficulty in coping with her mother. Clearly the last two formuations are preferable since they better prepare the way for the client to do something about the situation. This is not "blaming the victim" but rather putting the problem in the most solvable form. Sarah may be able and willing to initiate change, presumably in how she copes with her mother; the mother is more likely to change in response to what her daughter does rather than on her own initiative. The problem should also be formulated at an appropriate level of specificity. If the client expresses the problem in the form of a host of specific comlaints, the practitioner should identify a unifying theme, although the specific complaints can be used as examples. If the client's expression of the problem is general and vague, an attempt should be made to come up with concrete indicators of the difficulty. The practioner's tentative formulation is given to the client with a request for feedback from the client as to whether or not it accurately reflects the client's main concerns. The client then may agree with the formulation or offer suggestions for revision, which are normally incorporated.
Goals may be included as part of the problem formulation, depending on the nature of the problem and the client's readiness to engage in a goal-setting process. For some difficulties, a precise goal may be inappropriate. For example, a depressed person wants relief from his or her depression. To put this wish in the form of a specific goal would add little. Other problems lend themselves to the construction of goals. For an adolescent who is having academic difficulty, a goal might be to get C's or better in four of his five courses. For still other situations, the notion of a problem as a blocked goal may apply. The problem can be stated as a goal. "Mrs. Porter wants her children returned from foster care."
In general, the purpose of the problem formulation is to capture the clients' major concerns in a way to set the stage for them to begin to take remedial action. Formal considerations, e.g. degree of specificity or inclusion of goals, are secondary to this purpose.
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Task-Centered WebPages 1998, Matthias J. Naleppa