Theoretical Paper: Evaluation of Quality of Working Life as an outcome for work-based counselling and psychological therapy

Abstract

Content and FocusWhilst counselling psychologists providing services to individuals referred through employer funded employee assistance schemes and similar can routinely use established assessments of mood, or behaviours indicative of psychological distress, it may also be useful and relevant to evaluate effects on the individual’s experience of and at work. It may be the case that a broader range of outcomes should appropriately be evaluated to allow assessment at both an individual case level and at a broader service evaluation level in the work setting. This paper proposes that pre- and post-assessment of key aspects of an individual’s Quality of Working Life (QoWL) can make a valuable contribution to the evaluation of workbased counselling and psychological therapy. Further we argue that such an evaluation can assist in the process of formulation, and thereby the effective targeting of interventions. This article briefly reviews the concept of QoWL, and goes on to discuss the relevance of this concept in the work-based counselling and psychological therapy setting. Finally, a freely available measure of QoWL, the Work Related Quality of Life Scale, is reviewed by way of illustration.