The Relationship Between Therapist Perceptions and Engagement in Measurement-Based Care

Measurement-based care (MBC) is an evidence-based practice that has been supported by the American Psychological Association for almost two decades (APA 2006; Boswell et al. 2023). However, the widespread dissemination of technology-enabled platforms supporting the implementation of MBC in routine clinical settings has failed to significantly increase therapist rates of engagement in MBC. The present study was designed to examine the relationship between therapist perceptions of and their engagement in MBC, an area of inquiry that has yet to be pursued. A sample of 196 therapists and their respective clients (N = 12,166) was extracted from the therapist pool of a technology-enabled, digital mental health platform offering an automated MBC system. The sample of therapists was administered a previously validated measure assessing their perceptions of different aspects of MBC. Additionally, their frequency of viewing client outcome scores was assessed as an indicator of engagement in MBC. Analyses failed to detect a direct relationship between therapist perceptions of each aspect of MBC and their frequency of viewing client scores. Nonetheless, a subsequent cluster analysis identified a three-cluster solution. The cluster displaying the most positive perceptions of all aspects of MBC was associated with higher frequency of viewing client score. These findings suggest that therapist perceptions of MBC's clinical usefulness could have a unique impact on therapist engagement in MBC.