Outcomes of Counseling and Psychotherapy

James W. Lichtenberg & Pamela L. Knox

Counseling and psychotherapy outcomes are the benefits (or harms) that derive for clients (patients or mental healthcare consumers) as a result of their experiences or treatment in therapy or counseling. Although it is generally assumed that therapy is an effective treatment for mental health concerns, this is not always the case. The determination of therapy outcomes involves a variety of issues and considerations. Efficacy and effectiveness are two ways in which the outcomes of counseling and psychotherapy are discussed. Efficacy refers to the therapeutic benefits found in comparison of the treatment and a no-treatment control group within the context of a controlled clinical study. In contrast, effectiveness refers to the benefits of therapy that occur within a mental health practice context. In the former instance, the question is whether a treatment or intervention is found to achieve a greater benefit for clients than no treatment. If so, the treatment It ...

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