  Effective TherapyTherapy has helped quite a number of people. However, in the vast majority of psychotherapy, the therapist verbally asks how the client is doing. Please watch the video below to learn about the dramatic increase in the effectiveness of psychotherapy when therapists get objective feedback from their clients as to how therapy is working for them. One of the results of measuring my clients' progress is that I am able to calculate my effectiveness in psychotherapy. The data is presented in a graph below. Effectiveness data for Dr. Kuelker:
The above graph measures the change in psychological distress from the start of treatment, and the end. An effect size is a measure of the difference between the group that receives treatment, and the group that does not. In psychology, an effect size of 0.2 is considered small, an effect size of 0.5 is medium, and an effect size of 0.8 is considered large. Dr. Kuelker’s effect size is 1.5. Another way of understanding this is that 95% of the people who receive treatment from Dr. Kuelker are better off than the average person who does not. My effectiveness was calculated by clients giving feedback directly into a computerized system, and scored remotely. It is based on 250 clients, with data collected for over 2.5 year. The data includes those who were not clinically distressed, and thus were less likely to show improvement, since they were already feeling relatively good. My effectiveness was most recently measured December, 2010. Why does FIT (Feedback Improved Therapy) work so well?There are several theories to account for the stunning increase in effectiveness. The first is very simple, that feedback improves performance. When an athlete trains for the Olympics, the coach videotapes the athlete’s every move. Then, the coach and athlete sit and watch the videotapes, freezing frames, and studying every move. The coach will tell the athlete that they need to rotate their hip by 2 degrees, or kick their foot a centimeter further. This continuous feedback improves the performance of the athlete. The same is true in FIT. The therapist is getting feedback from the client on whether therapy is helping, and what needs to be changed. Then, the therapist can adjust therapy to fit better with what works for the client. This process of continuous feedback improves therapy. The second theory is that FIT explicitly gives clients an opportunity to give feedback. People enter therapy because they are hurting and overwhelmed, and need help. When people are in that state, it is harder to say, “This approach is not working that well.” But, when clients fill in the form that asks if the therapist’s approach is a good fit, it gives them much more permission to give feedback. When I first started using FIT with some clients I had seen for 18 months, I was amazed at how it gave them more opportunity to tell me what needed to be adjusted in therapy. We made the changes, and they showed clear progress. Even though they had been improving before, the pace of change picked up quickly. FIT can help you!Because you are giving feedback each session, you can be assured that you are receiving highly effective help. Your stress can drop away. The conflict in your relationship that is churning you up, can be resolved. Sleep can be deep and restful again. Take action for your health, either by emailing me at info@drkuelker.com for more information, or by calling the numbers below. Call to book an appointment
Kelowna (The Core Centre of Health) (250) 862-2673 Graph referencesBrown, G.S., Lambert, M.J., Jones, E.R., & Minami, T. (2005). Identifying highly effective psychotherapists in a managed care environment. American Journal of Managed Care, 11(8), 513-520. Miller, S. D., Duncan, B. L., Brown, J., Sorrell, R., & Chalk, B. (2006). Using outcome to inform and improve treatment outcomes. Journal of Brief Therapy, 5, 5-22 |
