With a name like "effectivetherapy" one may reasonably ask the question: How do I as a client know you are effective as a therapist? It is indeed a very interesting point that a very small percentage of therapists in routine practice actually measure outcomes of their work from the perspective of their clients. Sadly, it is also true that a therapist's opinion of their effectiveness with clients is often inaccurate.

This is why we choose to work in a manner we call:

"outcome informed"

Use of CORE measures

We are continually addressing ways of improving our service. Before we commence treatment and at the end of treatment we ask our clients to complete a brief questionnaire. This assists us in understanding more about our client's problems. The information from these forms is treated with strict confidentiality in accordance with the Data protection Act 1998. While we hope our clients agree to filling in the questionnaire we wish to emphasise that participation is entirely voluntary and access to therapy will not be compromised should any client decline to complete any forms we use.

Client information sheet with regard to data protection

Use of ORS/SRS measures

Furthermore what is known from extensive outcome research in counselling and psychotherapy is that:

1. Reasonably early change for the better in therapy is a reliable predictor of successful outcome.

2. The better the fit between therapist and client in the way they work together the better the outcome is likely to be.

 

Bearing these 2 points in mind, and to better help us understand exactly how our clients perceive they are doing we ask our clients to fill in a very brief measure both at the beginning and the end of each therapy session.

At the beginning of the session we use a brief 4 question measure called the outcome rating scale. This gives us an overview of how our client feels he or she is doing in different areas of life and how progress is going from session to session. This helps us to pick up on times when progress does not seem to be forthcoming and, always in full collaboration with our clients, we can discuss alternative possibilities when progress is not as our clients desire.

At the end of each session we use another brief 4 question measure called the session rating scale. This helps us ensure we are working together in a way that is a good fit for our clients. We privilege our clients voice and greatly value feedback.

Information for therapists

CORE

For therapists seeking further information about the CORE System Group please go to their website at www.coreims.co.uk. You may register and obtain free copies of CORE forms here.

ORS/SRS

Both of these scales have been developed by the Institute for the Study of Therapeutic Change (ISTC). We encourage all counsellors and psychotherapists to become interested in outcomes. Following registration with the ISTC these forms can be downloaded at no charge and used in personal practice.

Counsellors and psychotherapists wishing to register now with the ISTC please click here

IES-E scale

At times it proves very useful to have a separate scale to measure trauma. The Impact of Events, Extended, Scale (IES-E) is a validated, psychometrically tested scale designed by Noreen Tehrani. This scale provides reliable clinical scores to help assess the level of distress due to the impact of a traumatic event or events. We are very grateful to Noreen for granting us permission to publish her scale which is free to download and use.

On this website we publish the collated results of therapists working with the "human givens approach" and we update these results on a regular basis.

For further information on research matters please visit:

www.hgiprn.org