Assessing Psychotherapy Outcome With Feedback

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Couple Dysfunction; Family Dysfunction; Individual Psychiatric Disorder
• Interventions: Other: Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change (STIC); Other: Treatment as Usual

• Registration Number: NCT02023736
• Lead Sponsor: The Family Institute at Northwestern University

Brief Summary

This study is a comparison of client outcomes in two different types of psychotherapy treatment. In one condition clients will receive treatment-as-usual (TAU); the therapy that they would normally receive. In the other condition clients will receive treatment-as-usual but in addition their therapist will have access to empirical feedback on client progress. Clients in the feedback condition will fill out weekly online questionnaires, and their therapists will have access to a website that feeds back the results of these questionnaires. The purpose of the study is to understand the impact of providing such feedback to therapists. Participating therapists at 4 sites will offer all of their clients the opportunity to participate, and participating clients will be randomly assigned to either condition. This should result in a representative sample of client seeking treatment at these 4 Chicago-area clinics.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2013-12
• Study First Submitted: 2013-12-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2013-12-24
• Study First Posted: 2013-12-30
• Status Verified: 2016-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-08-08
• Last Update Posted: 2016-08-09
• Primary Completion: 2017-01
• Study Completion: 2017-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1000

Inclusion Criteria

• Client seeks therapy at one of the 4 participating sites
• For Individual therapy: client must consent and complete pre-test battery before the first therapy session
• For couple therapy: both clients must consent and complete pre-test battery before the first therapy session
• For family therapy: at least one client must consent and complete pre-test battery before the first therapy session
• Clients must be 12 years of age or older
• Clients must be able to read (English or Spanish) at a 6th grade level

Exclusion Criteria

• Clients under 12 years of age
• Clients incapable of reading at a 6th grade level
• Clients who are blind, or are have sufficiently impaired sight as to be unable to read the questions on the web portal

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment as Usual with the STIC (TAU + STIC)	Treatment as Usual	Patients in the TAU + STIC condition receive the treatment that they normally would from their therapist, but with the addition of the STIC measurement and feedback system.
Treatment as Usual	Treatment as Usual	Patients in the Treatment as Usual condition receive the same psychotherapy treatment as they would were they not enrolled in the study.
Treatment as Usual with the STIC (TAU + STIC)	Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change (STIC)	Patients in the TAU + STIC condition receive the treatment that they normally would from their therapist, but with the addition of the STIC measurement and feedback system.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in mental health symptoms at termination	At the termination of therapy (varies naturally case-to-case, but an average of 7 weeks) clients complete the outcome packet that asks about mental health symptoms in the previous month.	Clients complete a self-report outcome packet measuring mental health symptoms, tailored to their demographics, including some or all of the following: Beck Depression Inventory II: Beck Anxiety Inventory: Outcome Questionnaire 45: Short-form 36 Health Survey: Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale: Family Assessment Device: Strengths-Difficulties Questionnaire.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in mental health symptoms at 6-month follow up	6 months post termination	Clients complete a self-report outcome packet measuring mental health symptoms, tailored to their demographics, including some or all of the following: Beck Depression Inventory II: Beck Anxiety Inventory: Outcome Questionnaire 45: Short Form 36 Health Survey: Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale: Family Assessment Device: Strengths-Difficulties Questionnaire.
Change in mental health symptoms at 12-month follow-up	12 months post termination	Clients complete a self-report outcome packet measuring mental health symptoms, tailored to their demographics, including some or all of the following: Beck Depression Inventory II: Beck Anxiety Inventory: Outcome Questionnaire 45: Short Form 36 Health Survey: Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale: Family Assessment Device: Strengths-Difficulties Questionnaire.

Trial Locations

Locations (4)

Community Counseling Centers of Chicago; 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois, United States

Jewish Child and Family Services; 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois, United States

Catholic Charities; 🇺🇸 Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Family Institute at Northwestern University; 🇺🇸 Evanston, Illinois, United States