Research and evaluation are integral to Hamm Clinic’s direct service and training mission. The integration of clinical practice, research, and training provides the foundation for delivery of high quality, evidence-based care.
Clinical Evaluation
Effective evaluation, combined with intentional and collaborative care, is the path to successful treatment and informative research. We practice deliberately and evaluate our work with each client through use of standardized measures. Clients always work with us to determine what’s effective for them, and they can opt in or out of formal evaluation.
Hamm Clinic’s primary research tool is the Outcome Questionnaire OQ-45.2. With each client’s permission, we administer this during the initial intake appointment and at regular intervals during therapy.
The OQ-45.2 is a relatively brief, self-report scale that measures client progress in four areas of functioning:
- Global assessment/quality of life,
- Symptoms of psychological distress,
- Interpersonal relationships, and
- Social role functioning (ability to work, go to school, and enjoy leisure activities).
Published Research
Individual OQ-45.2 data help the provider evaluate effectiveness of therapy, and combined data help us measure overall outcomes for the clinic and in training programs.
Clients come through our doors experiencing a wide array of life circumstances, and determining the effectiveness of counseling can be complicated. A mix of issues, such as physical health, financial security, family support, personal safety, race and gender, affect outcomes. Also, provider skills and levels of communication and comfort between the provider and client are determinants of client success in treatment.
Use of Hamm Clinic data in applied research demonstrates our commitment to quality services and to contributing knowledge to the overall mental health profession. Here are a few publications featuring Hamm Clinic’s research:
- Attrition in Psychotherapy: A Survival Analysis (PDF)
- Effectiveness of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy With Older Adults, A Longitudinal Study (PDF)
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Quantitative, Longitudinal Perspective (PDF)
- Evaluating Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in a Community Mental Health Clinic (PDF)
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: An Effectiveness Study (PDF)
