Group Therapy Client Outcome and Satisfaction as a Function of the Therapists' Use of Rapid Assessment Instruments

Abstract

Group therapists were encouraged to use Rapid Assessment Instruments (RAls), to assess the course of the group therapy and make therapeutic decisions on empirical grounds under three experimental conditions. In Condition 1, group therapists had 140 different RAIs and scoring instructions available and had been instructed in theiruse. Condition 2 was identical except that group therapists had computer-scoring programs available for each RAI. Condition 3 differed in that group therapists had computer administration and scoring programs available. Clients itn Condition 3 were administered more RAls than clients in Condition 2 who were administered more RAls than clients in Condition 1. Employing reductiont in DSMIII-R symptoms as an outcome measure, clients in Conditions 2 and 3 improved more over the course of the 16-week cognitive-behavioral groups thant clients in Conidition 1, and these same clients were also more satisfied with their group therapy experience. Thus greater computer assistance leads to greater RAI use, which in turn leads to great outcome and client satisfaction.