Outcome Questionnaire: Is It Sensitive to Changes in Counseling Center Clients?

Sensitivity to change of the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ; M. J. Lambert et al., 1996) items, subscales, and total score was evaluated for clients receiving personal counseling in university counseling center settings. OQ data collected for 248 university students who did not receive treatment and 5,553 students who received treatment from 527 therapists employed in 40 university counseling centers nationwide were included in the analyses. Comparisons between the treated and untreated groups indicated that the OQ total score, all of the subscales, and 34 of the 45 items met 2 preset criteria for change sensitivity, providing support for the OQ as an appropriate index of outcome in counseling center clients. The 11 OQ items that failed to demonstrate change sensitivity were aimed at assessing aspects of interpersonal functioning, related to specific physical symptoms, or were susceptible to floor effects. The possibility of using change sensitivity results in revising the OQ for optimal use in counseling center settings is addressed, and general implications for outcome test development are discussed.