Incentive effects of choosing a therapist

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Client engagement in mental health services is crucial for treatment efficacy.
• Patient-therapist alliance is a key factor in therapeutic outcomes.
• Understanding factors influencing initial appointment attendance is important for service delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of offering clients a choice of therapeutic style on appointment show rates.
• To examine the effect of client choice on initial interview reactions.
• To compare outcomes between clients offered a choice and those in an attention-control group.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial with 55 participants was conducted.
• Participants were assigned to either a Choice condition (selecting a therapy style) or an Attention-Control condition.
• Data were collected on appointment attendance and client/therapist interview evaluations.

Main Results:

• A significantly higher proportion of clients in the Choice group attended their scheduled appointments compared to the Attention-Control group.
• No significant differences were observed in client evaluations of the initial interview between the two groups.
• No significant differences were observed in therapist evaluations of the initial interview between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Offering clients a choice in therapeutic style can improve appointment adherence.
• Client choice may not significantly influence immediate post-interview perceptions.
• This finding suggests choice as a potential strategy to enhance engagement in mental health services.