Books

This book describes Dr. Barry L. Duncan’s Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS), an evidence-based method that provides systematic feedback from clients, thereby enabling therapists to identify clients who aren’t responding to treatment before they drop out. Duncan examines the common factors inherent to all successful therapies and details the importance of the therapeutic alliance as the foundation of effective therapy. He encourages therapists to expand their theoretical breadth, think deeply about the lessons they learn from their clients, and integrate these lessons into their performance. This highly readable and clinically focused book details a five-step plan to take charge of personal and professional development, stave off disenchantment, and remain a vital force for change in clients lives. On Becoming also includes chapters on couple and family therapy, supervision, and implementation.

Look inside: Read Chapter One

Watch a brief video

We honor Jacqueline Sparks and the first edition of the manual with the same cover from those many years ago. Written in an accessible workbook style, the fourth edition is divided into four sections designed to be easy to navigate and responsive to a particular question or need in the moment. Section I covers the meat and potatoes of PCOMS, “The 10 Skills of PCOMS.” Each skill of PCOMS is broken down into manageable bitesize chunks with clear step-by-step instructions for realizing maximum benefit. Although cultural responsiveness and attention to social justice has always been a part of PCOMS, the first section more fully articulates how the skilled use of the ORS and SRS operationalizes these values at the therapist-client level. Section II addresses Special Applications of PCOMS, how PCOMS collaborates with couples, families, groups, case management, and child protection. When you have more than one person in the room or other outside agencies involved, things can get complicated in a hurry. But seemingly paradoxically, PCOMS can help smooth out the rough spots and expedite the helping process. Section III addresses implementation and supervision, and the secrets therein. With 25 years of implementation experience with thousands of organizations across the globe, Barry details what it really takes for successful implementation. Finally, Section IV provides an “all in one place” compendium of resources related to PCOMS, including the psychometrics of its measures, the randomized clinical trials that support it, and the common factors that provide its infrastructure.

Read the Preface, Table of Contents, and a Sample (Skill 1)

Sobre la base de las tres ediciones de Heroic Clients, Heroic Agencies: Partners for Change (Clientes heroicos, Agencias heroicas: Socios para el cambio) y casi veinte años de enseñanza e implementación de PCOMS, los Dres. Duncan y Sparks dividen PCOMS en 10 módulos de aprendizaje que abordan las 10 habilidades de PCOMS, así como capítulos individuales sobre parejas, familias, grupos, administración de casos y servicios de protección infantil. El Manual también proporciona módulos sobre los cuatro pasos de la supervisión de PCOMS, así como los secretos de la implementación. Otras características incluyen acceso rápido a los resúmenes de la psicometría de las medidas de PCOMS, los fundamentos del porque PCOMS y todos los folletos que ayudan en la implementación en un lugar conveniente. Escrito en un estilo de libro de trabajo accesible (sin investigación) para proveedores de servicios y tratamientos de todo tipo, el Manual está integrado con Better Outcomes Now y el compendio de seminarios web y videos de clientes de PCOMS eLearning, que proporciona un plan de estudios completo para la orientación de nuevos empleados y la formación continua de PCOMS.

Mire el interior: lea la tabla de contenido y un capítulo de muestra

We live in a world pervaded by the unspoken attitude that we are all basically flawed, broken, incomplete, scarred or sick: we’re labeled as dysfunctional, codependent, depressed, you name it. Contrary to popular perception and drug company ad campaigns, fifty years of research shows that positive change does not primarily emerge from examining the disorders, diseases, or dysfunctions—all the stuff that’s wrong with us—that allegedly plague the masses. Dr. Barry Duncan debunks the myth that only a therapist can help you change your life and shows how positive change really happens when you utilize your inherent strengths and resources and are supported by relationships that take your innate goodness as a given. What’s Right with You gives you a research validated, six-step plan for a dynamic and refreshing approach to effecting change in your life—for good!

Brief Interview About “What’s Right With You”

Excerpt from “What’s Right With You:” Finding A Therapist and 7 Tips for Therapy