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What was useful about that session? Clients' and therapists' comments after sessions in the UK. Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT)

Orford, Jim, Hodgson, Ray, Copello, Alex, Krishnan, Mya, de Madariaga, Marta, Coulton, Simon (2009) What was useful about that session? Clients' and therapists' comments after sessions in the UK. Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT). Alcohol and Alcoholism, 44 (3). pp. 306-313. ISSN 0735-0414. (doi:10.1093/alcalc/agn112) (KAR id:25151)

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to report and contrast the aspects of two therapies considered by clients and therapists to be most and least useful.

Method: In the Uk Alcohol Treatment (UKATT), 742 clients were treated by 49 therapists with up to three sessions of motivational enhancement therapy (MET) or up to eight sessions of social behaviour and network therapy (SBNT). After each treatment session, clients and therapists were asked to independently complete two sentences, one inviting a statement about the 'most useful' and other about the 'least useful' thing that had happened during the session.

Results: The proportion of 'most useful' sentences completed was greater than the proportion of 'least useful' and equality so for MET and SBNT. The content of comments was significantly different for the two treatments: more comments on social aspects followed SBNT and more motivational comments followed MET, with larger numbers of comments following both treatments that were more general. Clients more often completed 'most useful' sentences than therapists and less often completed 'least useful sentences. There were a number of differences in the content of their comments: notably more 'most useful'client comments about talking to their therapists, and more therapist comments about client engagement.

Conclusions: MET and SBNT left distinct impressions on the participants immediately following treatment sessions, adding to the evidence that they are different treatments, and hence deepening the mystery about why outcomes followisng the two treatments were so similar (UKATT Research Team. (2005) Br Med J 331:541-58).

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1093/alcalc/agn112
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare > HV5001 Alcoholism and intemperance
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Centre for Health Services Studies
Depositing User: Paula Loader
Date Deposited: 23 Jul 2010 14:03 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:03 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/25151 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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