Self-Esteem Research, Theory, and Practice Toward a Positive ...

A Two-Factor Self-Esteem Enhancement Program 219likely to be good. However, the disadvantage of having only a week lapsebefore the “boost” is that it might feel just like a regular meeting and thepotency of the technique is diminished. However, it is also possible toschedule a 1-month follow-up after the five sessions end. In fact, thisarrangement is mentioned in the short-term psychotherapy literature andis purported to have an enhancing effect (Wells, 1982). The risk of goingthis route is that attendance is likely to be lower than the usual groupmeetings because of such things as time limitations; schedule conflicts;and the resurgence of old, poor self-esteem habits. Nevertheless, in generalI have found that clients often seem pleased with the progress theyhave made and wish to share their success with others.ENHANCING SELF-ESTEEMIN THE INDIVIDUAL SETTINGWe saw earlier that self-esteem enhancement programs may also bedesigned for the individual setting (Bednar, Wells & Peterson, 1989;Pope, McHale & Craighead 1988; and Shirk & Harter, 1996). It is alsopossible to organize the program offered here in a way that is compatiblewith individual work. This version is based on a planned short-termtreatment model (Wells, 1982) that continues to gain in popularity for atleast two reasons: it reduces costs (which seems to please managed careprograms) and the literature on the subject tells us that it is reasonablyeffective. Of course, there are several general characteristics of thisapproach that distinguish it from longer-term models, the most importantof which is that it is a time-limited arrangement. However, anothercrucial distinction is that rather than being open-ended and general,short-term work is usually structured and focused. Typically, the clientand therapist identify a particular problem or issue that is to be the centerof their work and relationship. Long-term problems involving such goalsas general personality reorganization or extremely psychotic conditionsare not well suited to short-term work (Mann, 1973), which means thatcareful screening and diagnosis are a part of the process. Finally, there arepsychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and even humanistic approachesto short-term work, which allows it to be used by clinicians from anumber of persuasions.The general approach is to simply adapt the enhancement programto fit the short-term framework without changing the essential characterof either one. That is, we would begin a standard intake evaluation tomake sure that this type of work is appropriate for the client and then usethe same steps found in the group format to organize the treatment.Because most clinicians tend to work with individual clients in 1-hour