Blog

Thoughts and ideas from MyOutcomes For Mental Well Being Inc.

  • The Benefits of Using Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) in Psychotherapy
    May 16, 2023 at 11:00 PM

    Are you weary of investing many hours in your client’s treatment and therapy without seeing any real results? Are you truly attending to your client’s needs, listening to them and comprehending their needs? Fortunately, the outcome rating scale (ORS) ex...

  • Why measure clinical progress session by session?
    May 8, 2023 at 11:00 PM

    We can now measure nearly anything thanks to advances in science and technology. We can monitor changes in our bodies right down to our daily steps.  We receive feedback from these monitors about what is happening in our bodies, which helps us have a be...

  • How Rating Scales Help in Psychology
    April 27, 2023 at 4:00 AM

    For far too long, the field of mental health held a stigma within our society. Many people felt judged or ostracized for discussing their mental health problems, and that made it more difficult to seek out the treatment they needed. Luckily, that stigma is slowly lifting, and more people are reaching out for help.

  • The importance of evidence-based practice in counseling.
    April 25, 2023 at 11:00 PM

    To some, evidence-based practice in counseling may sound like a dull endeavour, but I assure you that it is anything but boring. In fact, it alters the playing field for both therapists and clients. Imagine a client who seeks counseling...

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Rating Scales in Psychology
    April 18, 2023 at 11:00 PM

    Welcome to the world of rating scales in psychology!  If you are a beginner in this field, the variety of scales available may be a little overwhelming. But don't worry, you don't need a PhD. in Clinical Psychology to understand these tools. T...

  • Privacy & Security in the Technological Age

    The Electronic Age has brought with it many opportunities. Psychotherapy, especially psychotherapy that’s built around feedback-informed treatment, has richly benefited from much of this new technology. Using these technological advancements in ...

  • How therapists can attain better results by regularly taking client feedback.

    The other day, I told my wife that the two most important things I learned in graduate school were:

    1) how little I know; and

    2) I had doomed myself to a life of perpetual student-hood.

    Put another way, every time I reached ...

  • To Seek or Not to Seek

    People, who could use support confronting their mental health needs, are often challenged in seeking that support. Two significant reasons why folks don't seek support for mental health issues are:

    1) They believe they don't need...

  • Why an evidence-based practice is the best way forward in psychotherapy!

    The best decisions are evidence-based. Not experience. Not gut feelings, but real, hard evidence. In so many aspects of our lives, we think nothing of expecting others to base their decisions on evidence.

    When you take your car into the sh...

  • How Mental Health Software is Improving Therapy
    March 29, 2023 at 4:00 AM

    The field of mental health treatments has become more widespread in recent years, and the stigma surrounding issues with mental health lifted even more as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, more individuals have started seeking the treatment they need, and that rise in demand has led to advancements in how experts provide those treatments.

  • How Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Benefits Patients
    February 24, 2023 at 5:00 AM

    Partly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of people have started doing therapy. It’s helped lift the mental health stigma, and as it grows more popular, the way therapists treat their patients has evolved.

  • What Goes Into a Session Rating Scale (SRS) Assessment?
    January 31, 2023 at 10:00 PM

    As a healthcare provider, it is important to understand the needs of your patients and provide them with quality care. One way to measure patient satisfaction and treatment effectiveness is through a session rating scale (SRS) assessment.

  • What are the Benefits of Using Outcome Rating Scales?
    January 4, 2023 at 8:00 AM

    As a mental health provider or behavioral specialist, it's likely you understand how essential it is to provide the best possible care for your clients. You know that positive outcomes are the result of hard work, knowledge, and skill.

  • How Tracking Progress in Therapy Improves Client Retention
    November 29, 2022 at 10:00 PM

    Patients must be supported to carry on with their crucial, often complex, work. But how does a therapist motivate their patient to return to this uncomfortable place? By tracking progress in therapy.

  • Data-Driven Methods of Measuring Patient Progress In Therapy
    October 13, 2022 at 5:00 AM

    During talk therapy sessions, it is not always easy to track a patient’s progress due to a number of inhibitors. For example, patients may not be comfortable sharing their honest frustrations with their counselor, which results in a low-quality mental health service. Therefore, it is essential to have data-driven systems in place where healthcare professionals can ensure the progression of their patients by addressing issues as they arise.

  • What are Psychological Outcomes Measurement Tools?
    October 10, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    We’ve heard time and time again, therapy/counseling doesn’t work. At MyOutcomes we believe therapy can work if a psychological outcome measurement tool is used.

    What are Psychological Outcomes Measurement Tools?

    ...

  • Why Feedback from Clients is Critical
    October 8, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    Psychological outcome measurement tools are essential to counselors/therapists. Think of it as a signaling system that tells you when you are “on” or “off” track. At the heart of these signals is feedback from your client, session by session. Without a signaling system, a counselor/therapist is providing therapy based on “feel” or, general impressions from the client, which isn’t always accurate. With a signaling system, you’re giving clients a “voice” as part of the therapy process.

  • What Is the FIT Feedback Approach?
    September 11, 2022 at 7:00 AM

    How often does your therapist give you questionnaires to complete to see how you’re doing or progressing in therapy? Feedback-informed treatment, or FIT, does just that — it uses a client’s feedback to manage their treatment. This approach empowers the client and gives them a voice in their treatment.

  • What are the different psychological outcome measurement techniques available?
    September 6, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    Introduction:

    There’s a growing body of literature that suggests that psychological outcome measurement is important for mental health agencies. This has been most noticeable in the field of psychotherapy, where understanding whether the...

  • Why psychological outcomes measurement is important for mental health practitioners
    September 6, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    To see progress, one needs to have a comparative analysis of the past and the present. It’s an age-old practice that in order to have a better perspective of required efforts and loopholes you need to track your work consistently. Hence, to sta...

  • Tips for Adapting Your Practice to an ORS Psychology Structure
    July 27, 2022 at 7:00 AM

    The “Outcome Rating Scale,” better known as the ORS, is an assessment tool that has been used for over two decades in various therapeutic settings. The ORS helps facilitate improved counselor-client relationships to identify the most effective strategies for each person.

  • Academic Training Programs and MyOutcomes/FIT
    July 17, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    Graduate students stepping into counseling may be bearing the weight of the mental health crisis.  Not only do these counseling programs prepare students for what they need to know today, but also for tomorrow. The key to this preparation is knowing tha...

  • Routine Outcome Monitoring in Group Therapy Can Improve Outcomes and Reduce Costs
    July 10, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    In today's world, numerous organizations compete for finite financial resources designated to address the most vital concerns facing us today.  In the last several years, mental health has begun to get a small slice of that pie.

  • How to Incorporate FIT Outcomes into Your Sessions
    June 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM

    A FIT outcomes app like MyOutcomes helps a therapist’s practice by giving them a tool to both record and analyze client feedback seamlessly.

  • How can therapists determine when recovery is achieved?
    June 26, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    It ain't over ‘til the fat lady sings’ is an operatic reference to the rather large Valkyrie, Brunhilde, who, wearing her horned cap and holding her sword and shield, sings an aria signaling the end of a Wagnerian opera. In the English language, we...

  • Study Shows FIT Improves Effectiveness by 25% BUT …
    June 19, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    “Why don’t more therapists do FIT?” a grad student asked me during a recent consultation.  Seated nearby in the room were department managers, supervisors, and many experienced practitioners.

    “Well,” I said, queuing up my usual, diplomatic answer...

  • Are the MyOutcomes clinical measures scientifically validated?
    June 7, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    Go to the International Center for Clinical Excellence (ICCE) website to see all the studies done using the Outcomes Rating Scale and the Session Rating Scale.  There has been a ton of research.

    This is why Read more

  • Can you use the ORS assessment for children?
    May 31, 2022 at 12:00 PM
  • Urgent Need for Mental Health Services.
    May 22, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    Scientific Reports recently published an article outlining the need to prioritize behavioral health concerns as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Specifically, the article quotes the Tulane University School of Social Work in New ...

  • Do clinical measures really help therapists/counselors get un-stuck?
    May 16, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    Learn how client feedback can be quite positive to improve results.

    This is why MyOutcomes Feedback-Informed Treatment is so important.

    ...
  • Are therapists/counselors achieving successful client outcomes?
    May 8, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    The answer might surprise you!

    This is why MyOutcomes Feedback-Informed Treatment is so important.

    ...
  • Simple Elegance,  Not Needless Complexity.
    April 30, 2022 at 11:00 PM

    How MyOutcomes’ simple web-based tool helps therapists achieve greater efficacy and success in therapy with elegance.

    William of Ockham, of "Ockham's Razor" fame, believed that the best explanation was the o...

  • How to Grow Your Practice with MyOutcomes
    April 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM

    With a growing number of individuals seeking therapeutic services over the past few years, counselors need better access to tools that help them grow their practice and effectively serve clients.

    At MyOutcomes, we offer clinical measures to help ...

  • Is Your Clinical Team Truly Connecting with Their Clients? 
    April 10, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    Should therapists/counselors assess themselves?

    How can you tell if your clinicians are really connecting with their clients?

    Well, one approach would be to ask the clinicians.  Clinical directors wo...

  • The Science Behind MyOutComes Mental Health Software
    March 30, 2022 at 5:00 AM

    Today, thanks to telehealth platforms and virtual counseling, more people have access to mental health services than ever before. And with what has...

  • STRENGTHEN THE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP
    March 27, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    Why should you consider making Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) a part of your clinical practice?

    ...
  • How Measuring Mental Health Outcomes Can Improve Your Practice
    March 10, 2022 at 5:00 AM

    Within the mental health arena, it can be difficult to measure a patient’s progress. How can we truly know if a patient is feeling less anxious? More satisfied with life? If they’re experiencing fewer symptoms of PTSD? Outcome measures can ascribe quant...

  • How to Reach your Pinnacle of Success in Therapy?
    March 6, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    How much time do mental health professionals spend on improving their skills?  How much room for improvement is there, really?  How can you measure improvement to see if you're actually getting better?

    Being a therapist is not easy!...

  • An Interview with Carrie McManus, Director of Innovation and Programs, Sagesse February 10, 2022 @ 11 AM PST.
    February 28, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    Sagesse’s core mission is to “disrupt structures of domestic abuse.”  Sagesse uses MyOutcomes' Feedback-Informed Treatments.  Carrie shares her experience.

    How does your agency s...

  • Within The Therapist Lies The Key
    February 20, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    “The establishment of a therapeutic alliance can be a daunting task, even for those therapists who are generally successful.”

    For some time now, it has been well-understood that the alliance between the therapist and the client plays a s...

  • How to improve patient outcomes and retention
    February 7, 2022 at 8:00 AM

    When searching for common health services such as counseling or family medicine, patients have access to a variety of different providers. For this reason, it is the task of each healthcare facility to promote positive outcomes and maintain retention. U...

  • Plug and Play with MyOutcomes
    January 31, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    An all-in-one solution is possible! Easily integrate your EHR with MyOutcomes today using Plug and Play.

    Many therapists/councelors are looking to move their agencies to become evidence based.  To become evidence based is a journey.  At t...

  • Is your clinical team truly connecting with their clients?
    January 23, 2022 at 7:30 AM

    Why is this important?

    It is important that there be a strong connection between client and psychotherapist/counselor for several reasons.  The most important reason is the most obvious: the client may be exposing profound feelings, beli...

  • Teach them to fish instead.
    January 9, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    We can give a hungry person one fish for dinner or a fishing rod, but for them to eat regularly, we need to teach them to fish.

    Educators tend to focus on mastery of a skill, rather than the psychological experience of using said skill. ...

  • Using Feedback-Informed Treatment Software in Your Practice
    December 16, 2021 at 10:30 PM

    The work of therapists and counsellors is generally considered unquantifiable. Addressing patients' emotional quality of life doesn't produce immediate results or deliver linear improvements.

    One of the biggest frustrations for s...

  • No more assumptions with MyOutcomes FIT measures.
    December 12, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    Why guess when you don’t have to?

    Let's face it, assumptions--related to gut feel--can be hit and miss.  Without the right kind of feedback in therapy, therapists/counselors rely on imprecise assumptions.  The questions we have for t...

  • Can you garner candid feedback from clients?
    December 5, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    Getting good, accurate feedback, session by session is a must for all psychotherapist/counselors.

    Getting good, accurate feedback session by session is a must. Sometimes clients may fear having the face-to-face discussi...

  • Who benefits from SRS and ORS measures?
    November 29, 2021 at 6:30 AM

    Evidence-based practice relies on more than just theoretical prowess and a gut feeling.

    Evidence-based practice relies on more than just theoretical prowess and the gut feelings of the mental health professional, although these are criti...

  • Four Main Benefits of MyOutcomes.
    November 21, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    Are you committed to improving the mental health of your clients? MyOutcomes can help behavioral health agencies by:  1) strengthening the therapeutic alliance, 2) increasing successful outcomes, 3) reducing dropouts, and 4) shortening wait lists.

  • The importance of using SRS outcomes in behavioral health services
    November 15, 2021 at 6:30 AM

    Oftentimes, clients do not feel comfortable speaking up, this is why it’s important to have rating scales.

    The Session Rating Scale and Outcome Rating Scale work hand-in-hand to produce the best possible results while working with a behavioral health specialist.

  • Why Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT)?
    November 8, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    When asking a client for feedback using the Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) tools, a therapist/counselor pays heed to the client’s state of mind. FIT engages both parties. This breeds synergy and understanding where client and counselor/therapist are bound together by a common goal.

  • Why Client Feedback is Integral to Clinical Success.
    October 31, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    As a therapist/counselor being able to gauge, and even measure, the therapeutic alliance is critical to care. If you suspect your therapy sessions aren’t working perhaps a new approach is in order. MyOutcomes can tell you if you are back on track.

  • Do Clinical Measures Improve Therapy/Counseling?
    October 24, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    The short answer is: absolutely.

    Why wait until a client leaves your agency to find out what went wrong.  With Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT), clinicians/therapists get feedback session by session.

    The reason why gatheri...

  • Is Telehealth Effective?
    October 18, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    How MyOutcomes can reduce concerns about adverse effects of telehealth on psychotherapy and therapeutic rapport.

    What is telehealth?

    The internet has foundationally changed the way human...

  • Mental Health Agencies Can Benefit from the MyOutcomes Measures
    October 13, 2021 at 9:30 AM

    Agencies that adopt Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) best practices can expect to see client improvements up to 2.5 time greater than treatment without measures. The Session Rating Scale (SRS) and Outcome Rating Scale (ORS)--tools recently introduced to psychotherapy--benefit the therapist/counsellor and the client.

  • Are your Mental Health costs rising?  The Business Logic of Investing in Mental Health?
    October 6, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    Many business owners are paying monthly for health plans / EAP (Employee Assistance Providers) to offer mental health counselling to their employees.  However, as a business owner, are you truly getting value for the money you’re spending?  If your EAP provider used MyOutcomes, you would know.

  • 4 Reasons to Use Psychotherapy Feedback Measures
    October 1, 2021 at 2:00 PM

    In the field of psychotherapy, patient experience is the foundation of quality care. In recent years, we have seen a surge in digital alternatives to in-person medical services. Telehealth platforms enable therapists and counsellors to reach a broader r...

  • MyOutcomes - An Essential Mental Health Management Solution
    September 20, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    In the fast evolving sector of mental health change is certain.

    Clients join agencies. Clients leave agencies. Sometimes, they return. Sometimes they return and need to be accessed by a different administrative branch or ...

  • What Drives Outcomes in Psychotherapy?
    September 13, 2021 at 6:30 PM

    … the therapeutic alliance influences outcome not because it is healing in its own right, but because it allows the patient to accept, follow, and believe in the treatment.

    The quest to understand what the driving forces behind psychotherapy are ...

  • Measuring children’s therapy results with the ORS and CORS
    September 12, 2021 at 4:00 AM

    Feedback is a big part of knowing what’s working and what isn’t in your current approach to something, and therapy is no different. It’s especially important to get a solid understanding of this when you’re working with a child, though it can also be es...

  • MyOutcomes for Mental Well Being -Measure Therapeutic Effectiveness with MyOutcomes
    September 7, 2021 at 6:30 PM