An Outcomes Approach to Counseling Evaluation

Abstract

A method of evaluating the effectiveness of counseling is inherent in counseling which is based on the attainment of describable goals for the client. Such a method requires the clear specification of expectations for changes in the client, deciding on how these changes are to be observed, choosing and implementing a treatment which will effect these changes, and assessing actual progress toward the goal. Evaluation becomes a part of the counseling process, regularly leading to it, and integrating the evaluation and reevaluation into the treatment process. Data so obtained for many clients may be summed to provide an index of effectiveness for a counseling service or program.