Abstract
This study examined rates of improvement in psychotherapy as a function of the number of sessions attended. The clients (N=1,868; 73.1% female; 92.4% White; average age=40), who were seen for a variety of problems in routine primary care mental health practices, attended 1 to 12 sessions, had planned endings, and completed the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) at the beginning and end of their treatment. The percentage of clients achieving reliable and clinically significant improvement (RCSI) on the CORE-OM did not increase with number of sessions attended. Among clients who began treatment above the CORE-OM clinical cutoff (n=1,472), the RCSI rate ranged from 88% for clients who attended 1 session down to 62% for clients who attended 12 sessions (r=-.91). Previously reported negatively accelerating aggregate curves may reflect progressive ending of treatment by clients who had achieved a good enough level of improvement.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 160-7 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | JOURNAL OF CONSULTING AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY |
| Volume | 74 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2006 |
Keywords
- Adaptation, Psychological
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Anxiety Disorders
- Child
- Depressive Disorder
- England
- Episode of Care
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Outcome Assessment (Health Care)
- Patient Care Planning
- Personality Assessment
- Primary Health Care
- Problem Solving
- Psychotherapy
- Quality Assurance, Health Care
- Statistics as Topic
- Time Factors