About Therapy: Quality Control

The quality control and improvement policy of Insight Psychology, PLLC, includes four elements: 

(A) Monitoring of psychotherapy outcome and the client-therapist relationship;
(B) Measuring client satisfaction at the conclusion of psychotherapy or other forms of psychological services I provide;
(C) Informal peer supervision by other licensed psychologists;
(D) Continuing education.

Below, I briefly describe each of the elements of my policy.

A. Psychotherapy Outcome and the Client-Therapist Relationship
Research on psychotherapy outcome indicates that the  monitoring of patient progress in psychotherapy and the quality of the  client-therapist relationship contributes to desirable outcomes and to  client satisfaction. When appropriate, to monitor client progress in  psychotherapy, I may administer the Outcome Questionnaire – 30 (OQ-30)  at the beginning of each psychotherapy session. The OQ-30 is the most  current form of the Outcome Questionnaire developed by Lambert and  Burlingame (1996) specifically as a brief and sound outcome measure  sensitive to changes in the most prevalent symptoms in outpatient  practice (“mental health vital signs”). To monitor the quality of the  client-therapist relationship, I may administer a second brief measure  at the beginning of each psychotherapy session, namely, the Working  Alliance Inventory – Short – Revised (WAI-SR; Hatcher & Gillaspy,  2007). Based on the work by Horvath and Greenberg on the original  Working Alliance Inventory in the 1980s, this instrument measures the  extent to which the therapeutic bond, goals, and tasks are experienced  as positive and helpful by the client. The working alliance is one of  the strongest predictors of psychotherapy outcome and satisfaction. I  examine the results of the OQ-30 and WAI-SR and use the information to  customize the treatment to the client’s needs.

B. Client Satisfaction
At the end of a course of psychotherapy, or at the end of a  psychological evaluation or assessment, I may ask the client to complete  a brief client satisfaction questionnaire, which includes space for  written comments. I study the client’s feedback carefully and take it  into account when considering adjustments to the way I provide services.

C. Informal Peer Supervision
I maintain professional and personal contact with other  licensed psychologists. Thus, as the need arises, I am able to receive  informal peer supervision concerning clinical, ethical, or other  professional issues, while also protecting patient confidentiality. When  seeking peer supervision, I do not reveal identifying information about  my patients. (I also maintain membership in professional organizations  that provide consultation regarding professional issues as needed.)

D. Continuing Education
As part of my professional development, as well as for the  purposes of licensure maintenance, I strive to obtain regular continuing  education. Formally, this includes attending professional training  workshops at psychology conferences and completing online training  courses concerning instruments and populations specific to my practice.  Less formally, as part of my duties as a psychology professor, and also  as the need arises in my practice, I periodically review the empirical  and professional issues literature in my area of specialization.

References

Hatcher,  R., & Gillaspy, A. (2006). Development and validation of a revised  short version of the Working Alliance Inventory. Psychotherapy Research, 16(1), 12-25.

Lambert,  M., Burlingame, G., Umphress, V., Hansen, N., Vermeersch, D., Clouse,  G., & Yanchar, S. (1996). The reliability and validity of the  Outcome Questionnaire. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 3, 249–258.