Therapeutic assessment

Research

Results of research on therapeutic assessment show that subjects who received therapeutic assessment as opposed to controls (only examiner attention or test without feedback) reported a significant decline in symptomatic distress as well as significant increases in self-esteem and hopefulness, both immediately following the feedback session and at a 2-week follow-up. Research on therapeutic alliance suggests that the use of therapeutic assessment results in a more positive client/assessor relationship than the traditional information-gathering model, which researchers suggest may lead to a decreased therapy drop-out rate. Research has also found that the gains in therapeutic alliance due to therapeutic assessment are related to significantly more positive alliances throughout treatment. A meta-analysis of studies using various forms of assessment as a therapeutic intervention (including TA as outlined by Finn) found that these groups had significantly better outcomes than control or comparison groups. Researchers have also begun to examine therapeutic assessment for children and families, and have demonstrated clinical effectiveness in many settings, including schools, children's hospitals, and various clinics.