![Measuring what matters: How do we know that we do?
Panel at the 56th Int. Annual Meeting, Society for Psychotherapy Research
The presentations in this panel explore two perspectives on the question which constructs could "matter" when measuring outcomes during and at the end of psychological therapies: (i) using conceptual as well as empirical approaches to identify content that captures relevant variation among patients; and (ii) by engaging with stakeholders (including and foremost patients) to identify which constructs provide meaningful or valued information in a given setting.
The first presentation reports on a project that uses empirical methods to develop an ontology for depression measurement. An ontology is a formalised representation of domain knowledge, supporting the comparison and integration of the content of measurement tools. The second presentation focuses on using idiographic methods to identify core elements that matter quantitatively for individual PTSD patients and their trajectories, assimilating principles of clinical case formulations and theoretical models into empirical assessment. The third presentation switches the panel toward the question of meaningful measures. It discusses theoretical frameworks to assess psychotherapy outcomes beyond symptoms, and methods to find agreement on such outcomes. The final talk will present qualitative analyses based on the process evaluation embedded in a multi-centre trial, focusing on the context, mechanisms, and outcomes of the trialled intervention that are relevant for patients.
All presentations are concerned with how we identify and measure outcomes that matter and they stress that this requires considering different voices, values, and evidence. Since the presentations cover different methodologies and application contexts, the panel encourages attendees to discuss what we perceive as "valid" assessments from this perspective.
[titles of individual presentations follow in the posts below]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:necfmyeaeynf2wlfallc6d53/bafkreidi34scamzo537cxcebalyuni4zxclnr7teaeotd42ukcntszzizm)
Measuring what matters: How do we know that we do? Panel at the 56th Int. Annual Meeting, Society for Psychotherapy Research The presentations in this panel explore two perspectives on the question which constructs could "matter" when measuring outcomes during and at the end of psychological therapies: (i) using conceptual as well as empirical approaches to identify content that captures relevant variation among patients; and (ii) by engaging with stakeholders (including and foremost patients) to identify which constructs provide meaningful or valued information in a given setting. The first presentation reports on a project that uses empirical methods to develop an ontology for depression measurement. An ontology is a formalised representation of domain knowledge, supporting the comparison and integration of the content of measurement tools. The second presentation focuses on using idiographic methods to identify core elements that matter quantitatively for individual PTSD patients and their trajectories, assimilating principles of clinical case formulations and theoretical models into empirical assessment. The third presentation switches the panel toward the question of meaningful measures. It discusses theoretical frameworks to assess psychotherapy outcomes beyond symptoms, and methods to find agreement on such outcomes. The final talk will present qualitative analyses based on the process evaluation embedded in a multi-centre trial, focusing on the context, mechanisms, and outcomes of the trialled intervention that are relevant for patients. All presentations are concerned with how we identify and measure outcomes that matter and they stress that this requires considering different voices, values, and evidence. Since the presentations cover different methodologies and application contexts, the panel encourages attendees to discuss what we perceive as "valid" assessments from this perspective. [titles of individual presentations follow in the posts below]
In a week's time #SPRKrakow2025 will be over already.
I am grateful to my colleagues for joining me for the panel
"Measuring what matters: How do we know that we do?"
#PsychotherapyResearch #Measurement #HRQOL #CoreOutcomes #DundeeUni
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