Psychological Outcomes of Strategic Therapy in Adult Outpatients (POST Trial)

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Strategic Psychoterapy: Strategic psychotherapy as described in scientific literature

Study summary

This observational study investigates the outcomes of Strategic Psychotherapy, a form of brief psychological treatment focused on specific goals for change. The aim is to evaluate whether patients who receive this therapy in private practice settings experience improvements in their psychological well-being, psychological symptoms, and daily functioning.

The study population includes all adult patients (≥16 years) who spontaneously seek treatment from two strategic therapists between January 2021 and December 2025. Eligible participants must present with psychological problems that meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis.

Participants will complete two psychological questionnaires (SCL-90R and CORE-OM) before starting therapy and again at the end of their treatment. Changes in scores on these outcome measures will be statistically compared with data from a non-clinical population to assess whether the observed changes are greater than would be expected by chance.

Additional information will be collected, including medication use, the patient's own evaluation of the therapy, the number of sessions attended, the initial diagnosis, family involvement, and the types of therapeutic prescriptions used.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• 1. Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) 2. Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) — Baseline (prior to first psychotherapy session) and at end of treatment (average of 12-16 weeks, depending on number of sessions).
  1. Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) Description: A 90-item self-report scale assessing psychological symptoms across multiple domains. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = "not at all" to 4 = "extremely"). Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity. 2. Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) Description: A 34-item self-report questionnaire assessing well-being, problems/symptoms, functioning, and risk. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale (0 = "not at all" to 4 = "most or all of the time"). Higher scores indicate greater distress.

Trial sites (2)