Groups are an increasingly popular mode for delivering behavioral health services.  Few would deny that using the same hour to treat mutliple people is more cost effective.  A large body of research shows it to be as effective in general as individually delivered treatments.

Now clinicians can incorporate feedback into the group therapy using a brief, scientifically validated measurement scale: the Group Session Rating Scale.  The measure is part of the packet of FIT tools available in 20+ languages on the International Center for Clinical Excellence website.   Since the alliance is one of the most robust predictors of outcome, the GSRS provides yet another method for helping therapists obtain feedback from consumers of behavior health services.  As readers of this blog know, over a dozen randomized clinical trials document the positive impact of routinely assessing consumers’ experience of progress and the alliance on both retention and outcome of treatment.

The most up-to-date information about incorporating the GSRS into group therapy is covered in Feedback Informed Treatment and Training manual.   Briefly, the FIT manual covers every aspect of feedback informed care, from supporting research to implementation in agencies and larger systems of care.

Click on the link below to read the validation article on the GSRS: