Due to increased demands placed on university counseling centers (UCCs) in recent years, there is a need for these centers to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their psychological services. Regularly monitoring client progress is one approach to increase the likelihood of positive clinical outcomes. This article describes the use of the…

Objective: To complement standardized measurement of symptoms, we developed and tested an efficient strategy for identifying (before treatment) and repeatedly assessing (during treatment) the problems identified as most important by caregivers and youths in psychotherapy. Method: A total of 178 outpatient-referred youths, 7-13 years of age, and…

Examines whether the Clinical Rating Scale retains its validity when used by psychotherapists in their clinical practice. Confirmatory factor analysis reveals that data provides a reasonable approximation of the underlying factor structure. Concludes that although primarily considered a research instrument, the scale may have a role in clinical…

Reports the development of the Therapeutic Behavior Scale, a six-item scale used to assess verbal therapeutic behaviors. Presents data supporting its internal consistency, interrater reliability and construct validity. Suggests that the scale can be useful for training, therapist self-assessment and research about the therapeutic processes and…

N.B. Schmidt, T.E. Joiner, J.E. Young, and M.J. Telch (1995) provided preliminary construct validity for scores from J.E. Young's (1990) 205-item Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaire. The present study extends this work by examining the construct validity of scores from the shorter 75-item version of this instrument-the Early Maladaptive Schema…

Contains seven articles discussing the application of meta-analysis to research on outcomes in psychotherapy. Provides a framework for understanding meta-analytic procedures and outlines major techniques. Reviews criticisms of integration of psychotherapy outcome research. Evaluates comparative therapy outcome research and discusses limitations of…

Documenting treatment integrity is an important issue in research and practice in any discipline concerned with prevention and intervention. However, consensus concerning the dimensions of treatment integrity and how they should be measured has yet to emerge. Advances from three areas in which significant treatment integrity work has taken…

The development and initial validation of a therapist-rated measure of the real relationship in psychotherapy (the Real Relationship Inventory-Therapist Form [RRI-T]) is reported. Using a sample (n=80) of practicing psychotherapists and on the basis of prior theory, the authors developed a 24-item measure consisting of 2 subscales (Realism and…

Research showing psychodynamic child therapy to be less effective than other forms of child treatment have used outcome measures focusing on symptomatic and behavioral change rather than on psychodynamic processes. A child therapy assessment procedure than measures the psychological functioning of the child in a psychodynamically meaningful way is…

Reviews several scales used to evaluate competency of psychotherapists. Discusses concerns about interrater reliability and predictive validity of scales. Considers competency a state-like variable, with therapists demonstrating higher competence when they skillfully treat patients across range of difficulty levels. Contends that development of…