</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
chalmette70043 said:
Why do they do this?

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">It's part of the treatment techniques used by therapists of certain approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. They are probably doing it to try to move things along in therapy and help you make progress outside of session.

My therapist has only given me "homework" a couple of times, and then we don't bring it up the next time anyway. It's just an outside exercise and he has no way of knowing if I did it or not. If you think of it is being for yourself, rather than for your T, maybe it will help you do it.

If my T gave me homework regularly, I probably wouldn't like it either. We make plenty of progress in therapy without it. Plus, I write in a journal regularly for myself, so I am thinking, processing, and discovering things through the journal--the things that I need to at that moment, rather than an external homework assignment that may not be what I need right then. If the homework became a nuisance or was not helpful to me, I feel comfortable enough with my T that I would just say to him, "this isn't working for me."

I think one valuable thing about homework is it can help the therapist get to know you better. Maybe it might be especially useful for people who have trouble expressing themselves verbally in session and can serve as a conversation piece of sorts. Then as the client gains comfort in the therapy setting, and is able to share what is on her mind, then the need for the homework might diminish. Just throwing out some ideas.... Why don't you ask your T why he/she gives homework and what value it is?