4. Effective therapists provide an acceptable and adaptive explanation for the client’s distress. Anyone
who presents to a socially sanctioned healer, such as a physician or a psychotherapist, wants an
explanation for his or her symptoms or problems. There are several considerations involved in providing
the explanation. First, the explanation must be consistent with the healing practice: in medicine, the
explanation is biological whereas in psychotherapy the explanation is psychological. Second, the
explanation must be acceptable and accepted by the client, a process that involves compatibility with
clients’ attitudes, values, culture, and worldview. That is, treatments are adapted for patients. Third, the
explanation must be adaptive—that is, the explanation provides a means by which the client can
overcome his or her difficulties. This induces positive expectations that the client can master what is
needed to resolve difficulties. Fourth, the ―scientific truth‖ of the explanation is unimportant relative to its
acceptance by the client. The therapist is aware of the context of the patient (e.g., issues of culture, SES,
race, ethnicity) in the development and presentation of the explanation. Acceptance of the explanation
leads to purposeful collaborative work.