Therapist's experience of, and attitudes towards, barriers to the completion of therapeutic homework tasks in children, adolescents and families : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Abstract

Homework is a widely used therapeutic tool, employed by clinicians from a range of training backgrounds and across a variety of theoretical orientations. Theoretical and empirical support suggests that homework is an effective component of treatment for clients from a variety of populations presenting with a host of different disorders. Yet despite support for these assignments, few studies have directly investigated factors that may potentially interfere with the process of completing homework assignments. The present thesis aimed to address this gap in our knowledge by gathering survey data from a sample of 144 Marriage and Family Therapist regarding their attitudes and experience of homework barriers that have occurred in their clinical practice. Data obtained found support for the regular occurrence of twenty-one specific types of barriers. It was also revealed that a subset of "generic" factors frequently occurred across all client groups. The clinical implications of these barriers are discussed.