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Conclusion

The purpose of this introductory chapter was to give an historical overview of how homework assignments fit within the context of the process and outcome of psychotherapy. Whatever their nature, homework assignments are meaningful and intentional activities incorporated into psychotherapy to facilitate patient adjustment and benefit. This book aims to provide readers with focused teaching on how to effectively use homework assignments in a range of therapy approaches and clinical populations heretofore absent in the psychotherapeutic literature. As the reader will note, the field is left with many unanswered questions about the role of homework assignments in psychotherapy. We hope that this Handbook will provide a step forward in the development of further theoretical and empirical work. Our patients are likely to benefit from the fields advancement towards defining the mechanism by which homework contributes to effective psychotherapy practice and prevention.

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Kazantzis, N., LĽAbate, L. (2007). Introduction and Historical Overview. In: Kazantzis, N., LĽAbate, L. (eds) Handbook of Homework Assignments in Psychotherapy. Springer, Boston, MA . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29681-4_1

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