Practice Innovations, Vol 9(3), Sep 2024, 195-204; doi:10.1037/pri0000238
Decades of research have confirmed the effectiveness of measurement-based care (MBC) in promoting the achievement of better psychotherapy outcomes. Nevertheless, actual therapist engagement rates remain low. A recent line of research has begun to explore therapists’ attitudes toward, opinions on, and perceptions of MBC. The findings have so far detected neutral or slightly positive therapist feelings toward MBC. Nonetheless, these therapist perceptions have yet to be examined in a routine clinical setting employing an integrated MBC system. The present study was designed to fill this gap in the field’s knowledge by harnessing a vast sample of private practitioners in a practice research group employing a technology-enabled MBC platform. Moreover, several relevant therapist professional characteristics were also examined as predictors of therapists’ perceptions of MBC. Therapists’ experience, degree of training in MBC, and professional self-doubt were not found to be significant predictors of therapists’ perceptions of MBC. However, consistent with the extant literature, therapists’ theoretical orientation was identified as a significant predictor, with cognitive–behavioral and humanistic therapists expressing more positive perceptions of MBC’s clinical utility, relevance to treatment planning, and practicality than insight-oriented therapists. These findings may be interpreted as additional evidence corroborating the need for MBC to be tailored to the unique needs and preferences of therapists from distinct theoretical orientations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)