“Is therapy useful in an EAP brief intervention setting?” Other than anecdotal evidence or statistics on usage rates of the EAP service, it’s often hard to measurably define if EAP intervention shifts the dial for individuals. At Instep, we are constantly looking to root our service in the best outcomes and effectiveness for our customers, clients, and providers.
Therefore, we embarked on a project to find a way to measure the outcomes of therapy in a brief intervention setting. We eventually landed on a tool that has evidenced practical use and success over many years called Feedback Informed Therapy (FIT), developed by Dr Scott Miller in the United States of America. We like this tool as it has a robust evidence base and great research to inform us.
What is Feedback Informed Therapy?
Feedback-informed therapy, or FIT, is a valid, reliable, and feasible tool which elicits feedback from clients to understand where treatment approaches could be improved.
When using FIT, clients are administered a set of four questions at the beginning and end of each therapy session, and the resulting scores highlight both the client’s progress and potential problems with the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist, which is shown in research to be the greatest predictor of better outcomes. FIT could be compared to a doctor taking a patient’s temperature or blood pressure at each appointment.
What benefits does FIT offer?
FIT elicits client’s feedback regarding their progress and relationship with their provider. In short, it allows a client’s voice to inform their treatment. Research shows that this action of amplifying the client’s voice helps boost the effectiveness of the therapy. Not only that, but it enhances the client’s outcomes and offers the provider an opportunity to adjust treatment with greater precision.
Regular monitoring of client outcomes and progress throughout the counselling relationship can provide an additional layer of information that also supports the professional development of the provider. As a result, FIT is enabling a large population of mental health professionals in New Zealand to improve their effectiveness.
Is Instep offering FIT?
Instep EAP launched a pilot programme in September 2023. The pilot focuses on clients referred from all our customers with a wide variety of presenting problems and will represent the varied demographics and geography of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The primary aim of the pilot is to assess the viability and benefits of capturing client-reported outcomes in real-time throughout their treatment and the value of Instep EAP services in improving the outcomes of people using their services.
If you’d like to learn more about FIT, please check out the resources below, and if you’d like to discuss EAP services for your organisation, we’d love to hear from you! Contact Us – Instep.
This article was compiled by Fiona McCraken, Instep’s Feedback Informed Therapy (FIT) Project Leader.
Further Resources:
Feedback-Informed Treatment, explained by Scott D Miller in under 5 minutes. – YouTube
