Beschreibung:
AbstractAimIn this mixed‐methods study, we examined client descriptions of counselling outcomes and how they corresponded with a quantitative measure of change (i.e., Outcome Questionnaire‐45; OQ‐45).MethodUsing purposeful sampling at a university counselling training centre, we compared 17 clients who had reliably improved, deteriorated or did not change to qualitative outcomes based on post‐counselling interviews using the Change Interview protocol.ResultsQualitative outcomes included two Central change categories, the first of which included interpersonal, cognitive and behavioural, affective, and attitude changes. The second Central category of outcomes comprised four areas of change that varied by degree of change expressed (i.e., Problem Resolution, Confidence, Happiness and Changes Affirmed by Others). Congruence was not present between OQ‐45 and Central 1 changes but was present for three of the four Central 2 changes (Problem Resolution, Happiness and Changes Affirmed by Others), all correlating above .60.ConclusionOQ‐45 change scores showed congruence with three qualitative outcomes: degree of expressed improvement in Happiness, Problem resolution and changes noticed by significant others. However, the lack of congruence for Central 1 changes (i.e., Interpersonal, Cognitive and Behavioural, Affective, and Attitude Change) suggests a diverse range of outcomes important to clients that go undetected using the OQ‐45. We strongly encourage further mixed design research to better understand how best to appraise clinical improvement.