Doing Feedback Informed Treatment in practice is challenging but is there anything in life that gives rewards without some challenges?
Feedback Informed Treatment, or affectionally known as FIT, is an alternative to matching specific treatments to specific diagnoses. FIT assumes that people are not all the same, that a diagnosis doesn’t describe who an individual is and that each client requires treatment that has unique elements that meet their needs. Most psychologists, and indeed most clients, would innately agree with the above statements, so what’s the catch?
Turns out doing FIT in practice is hard. It’s hard behaviourally, cognitively and emotionally. Behaviourally, FIT requires Psychologists to change their behaviour by administering a distress or wellbeing outcome measure at the start of every client session and then provide an alliance measure at the end of each client session. Collaboratively reviewing the scores on each with your client and discussing whether they’re getting better or worse (the distress or wellbeing measure results) or whether the sessions are getting more or less helpful (the alliance measure results). Cognitively, the therapist and client need to creatively think of what needs to be adjusted in treatment to tailor to their unique needs if the results indicate they’re it getting better or if the sessions are becoming less helpful. Emotionally, it can be anxiety provoking at the start when learning to talk to clients honestly that they are not getting better or inviting their honest feedback on which part of treatment they find less helpful and how they want it changed.
Similar to other life challenges, such as having a healthy lifestyle, being a parent or undertaking education, there is a significant investment to do FIT in practice. The real question as to whether a Psychologist will start this journey is whether the benefits of FIT align with their values and what they need from their work. FIT benefits clients by improving recovery and improvement rates (ie. enhance wellbeing and reduced distress) compared to therapy without FIT. FIT benefits clients and their Psychologist by reducing drop out, this helps clients experience a fuller sense of treatment and reduces occasions where a Psychologist is left with an empty chair and needs to fill in time until the next session. FIT benefits Psychologists by providing increased work fulfilment and satisfaction and reduces likelihood of burnout. FIT also has a strong community all over the world for Psychologists and the spirit of these communities, whether online or face-to-face like the Geelong FIT Group, is to provide free resources, education and supervision.
If the challenge seems worth it for the benefits, I invite you to get in touch and I’ll link you with a FIT Community where ever you are in the world. I’d love to hear from you nathan@psychologyoutcomes.com
