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Measuring outcomes can be a divisive subject within the counselling and psychotherapy professions with many practitioners either reporting that it is irrelevant to their daily practice, at odds with their theoretical approach or too difficult to engage with and understand. Evans and Carlyle, however, challenge these positions in their introductory textbook on outcome measures (OMs) and evaluation in counselling and psychotherapy, and have produced a step-by-step, practice-oriented guide which aims to demystify several misconceptions about using OMs in clinical practice. They have written a practical, user-friendly and balanced book primarily aimed at individual practitioners, service managers, supervisors and health professionals working with clients within mental health settings (although there is much here that would be of interest and value to researchers and academics, especially those early in their careers).
One of the book's many appeals is its accessibility, and how both authors have translated their not-so-insignificant experience as practitioner-researchers into an insightful, down-to-earth read without dumbing down the topic, or overwhelming the reader with impenetrable research jargon. Although the book is inclusive of all therapeutic modalities, both authors trained analytically and much of what they discuss and propose in the book speaks to their clinical backgrounds and will be of importance to psychoanalytic, psychodynamic and Jungian practitioners on a general level. There is, however, some psychodynamic focus in the book, including a useful case study of a psychodynamic therapist (called Jan) who explores how she might incorporate OMs into her analytic practice for the first time and how she hopes OMs will enhance her work. The authors also highlight some measures that are specific to the psychodynamic model, including the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, Defense Style Questionnaire, Quality of Object Relations, Attachment Measures and Shedler-