Therapist Unlimited Blog

According to a latest study, four simple questions on well-being asked at the start of each session of ongoing couples therapy can greatly increase chances for reconciliation and improved relationships.
Based on the result of the largest clinical trial with couples to date, it shows that divorce and separation rates for couples that used this feedback technique were 46.2 percent less than that of couples who received therapy as usual.
The data are taken from the 2-year study conducted at the Vestfold Family Counseling Center in Norway by a U.S.-Norwegian team of researchers.
The researchers revealed from October 2005 to December 2007, 205 randomly selected couples receiving therapy in southern Norway participated in the study, which investigated the effects of providing ongoing feedback regarding the progress of treatment to both clients and therapists.
The research team said the couples had problems typical of struggling relationships: communication difficulties, loss of feeling for partner, jealousy/infidelity, conflict, and coping with partner’s physical or psychological problems.
They said half of the study group had feedback incorporated into their therapy while the other half did not.
The team bared couples who used the feedback method rated their well-being on an individual, interpersonal, social, and overall basis by using a visual scale called the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) at the beginning of each session.

Marriages of couples on the brink of separation were saved by a highly effective therapy technique that uses feedback method.

The researchers explained the results were used to guide each session: if progress was not noted, new directions for therapy were discussed and implemented.
It is noted that therapists participating in the study received training on how to integrate the findings of the ORS and collaborate with couples to find new solutions.
Dr. Barry Duncan, one of the authors of the study said adding feedback can be the start of a revolution in couples therapy.
Duncan explained it encourages couples to honestly evaluate their progress and enables therapists to adjust therapy before it’s too late.
It is said that although feedback has been demonstrated to improve individual psychotherapy outcomes, no studies until now have examined couples therapy.
To get the data, participants were contacted 6 months after the last therapy session.
Respondents then answered questions about their experience in treatment, including whether the couple remained together.
Based on the study it was discovered that the feedback couples were not only more satisfied with their relationships but also reported significantly lower rates of separation or divorce: a 18.4 percent separation/divorce rate for ORS couples versus 34.2 percent for non-ORS couples.
The researchers said this study adds to growing evidence that ongoing client feedback in psychotherapy can significantly improve outcomes.