Evaluation of long-term counselling at a community health service for women who are on a low income

Aims. Given the lack of research evaluating long-term counselling, coupled with the lack of women-only counselling services, the present study evaluated the long-term counselling service offered by a women-only community health centre. Method. The research ascertained: 1) the characteristics of 155 service users pre-counselling, 2) the views and experiences of 75 service users post-counselling and 3) pre-post-counselling clinical change in 98 service users via the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Results. Unemployment, low income and reports of abuse were related to poorer mental health as measured by the CORE-OM. Content analysis of open-ended questions revealed that women felt supported, comfortable and gained insight through the counselling relationship. They also reported positive changes in their lives, relationships, health behaviours, and psychological wellbeing. Post-counselling improvements were found in CORE-OM scores. Conclusions. Long-term counselling in a women-only environment for socially disempowered women may be beneficial. A research-informed approach to counselling and therapy evaluation, which acknowledges the social context of psychological distress, should be taken across institutions.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Payne, N., Ciclitira, K., Starr, F., Marzano, L. and Brunswick, N. (2015), Evaluation of long-term counselling at a community health service for women who are on a low income. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 15: 79–87. doi: 10.1080/14733145.2013.877513, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1080/14733145.2013.877513 . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.

Special Issue: Special Section: Working with Client Diversity