How to determine the effectiveness of a psychologist: 5 criteria

The work of a psychologist, like any other, includes the formula «seller-service-client». Therefore, a specialist must clearly understand what exactly he is selling, and have criteria for evaluating his effectiveness. 

Why is this assessment important? Because the client wants to know the result in advance — it is difficult to imagine a person who will pay without knowing what exactly he will receive for his money. Or someone who will pay for something of poor quality. Moreover, he risks not only money, but also his mental health. On the other hand, this assessment is also important for the psychologist himself — otherwise there is a risk that he will attribute the successes of the client to his skill, but the failures — to resistance and unpreparedness for psychotherapy. 

Criteria for the effectiveness of a psychologist

1. The ability to explain what the specialist does and expects as a result

Or admit that now he does not have this understanding. Because there are situations when the previous version has not been tested, but there is no new one yet. Moreover, the psychologist should be able to explain this to himself, the client, his colleague and everyone else. And also he must constantly recheck this wording and adjust it as he deepens in understanding his client. 

2. Ability to explain what and why is the best solution for the client

The psychologist must understand the needs of the client and how to solve his problems. A specialist may consider his method to be the best, but he has no right to think that his methods of psychotherapy are suitable for everyone, with any financial, temporal and other possibilities. So if his method doesn’t work, he should suggest something else.

3. Qualitatively past first session

The psychologist should strive to give something to the client already in the first session. If he takes money for it, then after the session the client should feel, albeit fleeting, but relief. For example, from understanding your situation and the causes of suffering. Or from the realization that psychotherapy can help to cope with his pain. In addition, the specialist must correctly allocate the time of the session, depending on whether the person applied for a one-time consultation or plans to work for a long time.

4. Honesty and transparency of the working conditions of a psychologist

The psychotherapeutic relationship is a trusting relationship. And the foundation of trust is laid when the psychologist tells not only what and why he will do, but also on what conditions. If he is employed, he may quit or be fired. What will happen in this case? Will the collaboration continue? If the psychologist does not clarify such points in advance, then he can let the client down and undermine his confidence not only in himself, but in psychotherapy as a whole.

5. Sessions with a psychologist should help the client

The client’s real life should improve over time. If nothing changes or only gets worse, then the specialist and / or his approach is not suitable for the client. At least for now. This does not mean that the psychologist harms him, it is just that in this situation he is ineffective. 

Who evaluates the result?

Different groups can and should evaluate the work done by the psychologist. Two situations are possible:

• Only client and psychologist

  This is a difficult situation: both are involved in the work, which means they are not completely objective. In this case, the specialist needs to provide himself with external evaluation groups — a supervisor or a group of colleagues for regular meetings. Ideally, this should be both colleagues practicing in the same method and colleagues from a different approach. 

  The psychologist must be able to explain what he is doing, to demonstrate the progress of the client. Justify that the result was possible thanks to the method chosen by him. Or admit that it could have been achieved in a different approach.

• Client, psychologist and institutional third

  If it is a clinic or a center, then the authorities join. If the service is the selection of specialists, then the senior partner. This is a very valuable reference group, whose assessment is essentially the most neutral.

It is not easy to single out efficiency criteria: there are no numbers and uniform formulas. But psychologists are obliged to formulate KPIs for themselves, relying on the feedback of the client, colleagues, institutions and their own common sense and evaluating the effectiveness of their work from different angles.