What is the role of pre-assessment questionnaires in psychotherapy?

Summary

The value of using a pre-assessment questionnaire on patients referred to a NHS clinic for psychotherapy is explored. Two groups of patients, one of which was requested to complete a questionnaire, were studied. Rates of non-attendance, suitability for psychotherapy, and subsequent entry into psychotherapy, were compared. The effectiveness and multifaceted nature of such a questionnaire, together with its function from an institutional perspective, is explored in the light of these findings.

The results suggest that use of a questionnaire enhances the efficiency of the assessment process, but at the cost of being an added barrier, which prevents some patients from attending and thus obtaining psychotherapy. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy in the NHS is presented with all kinds of pressures, including the pressure to remain true to its analytical aim, to have closer links with psychiatry, to be scientific with proven effectiveness, as well as to have a different kind of institutional effectiveness which relates more to turnover of patients. The function of the psychotherapy questionnaire in this context is discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

A I Garelick

(Dr A I Garelick has recently taken up sessions at the Tavistock Clinic, London NW3 5BA.)