Differential Effects of Processing Proposals and Content References on the Explication Process of Clients with Different Starting Conditions

This study investigates the ways in which the clarifying/explication process is influenced by therapist interventions whose clients show high versus low “clarifying preparedness.” It was found that client-centered therapists exerted a major influence on the explication processes of their clients, that the type of the content references made by the therapists considerably affected the effects of the interventions, and that clients exhibiting low clarifying preparedness levels were more difficult to treat than highly prepared clients. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.