Clinical Assessment of Modes
What It Measures
The Clinical Assessment of Modes (CAM) turns the spotlight on the therapist rather than the client. It measures which communication styles a therapist actually uses with a particular client — and whether the client experienced them the same way.
The Intentional Relationship Model describes six therapeutic modes: advocating (securing resources the client needs), collaborating (sharing ownership of the process), empathizing (understanding the client's experience), encouraging (building hope and willingness), instructing (setting clear expectations), and problem-solving (reasoning toward solutions). Thirty items on a 5-point scale rate how much each mode appeared. Because a mode is experienced differently by different people, parallel therapist and client versions exist, and comparing them is where the useful information sits.
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: The assessments are posted by the UIC Intentional Relationship Model group.
Learn More: Several versions serve different purposes. CAM-T is completed by the therapist about their own communication; CAM-C1 and CAM-C2 are client versions. A separate CAM-Observer exists for a third party — used to evaluate students in entry-level OT education.