Short Progress Assessment (SPA)

Author: Dr Bruno A. Cayoun, University of Tasmania & Psychology Centre (TAS)

This client-rated questionnaire enables week-by-week assessment of progress with therapy. It is used for both clinical and research purposes. The SPA acknowledges both 'outcome' and 'process'.

Outcome measures involve two main scales, Severity (symptomatology) and Manageability (self-efficacy). Interviewees are asked to evaluate their levels of symptom severity and manageability on five subscales (Behavioural, Cognitive, Interoceptive (body sensations), Affective, and Interpersonal) using a 5-point Likert-type scale.

In addition to rapid assessment of outcome, the SPA also measures the process of therapy with two Perceived Outcome scales. One is the Perceived Improvement scale, which requires the Interviewee to summarise how much they perceive their improvement to be on the five subscales cited above. The other is the Satisfaction with Therapy scale, which provides rapid evaluation of client satisfaction on five measures: Therapy Type, Therapy Length, Relationship with Therapist, Skills Learned and Cost (if applicable).

Administration requires between 2 and 3 minutes. Readability is appropriate for scorers from age 12 and adults. The SPA forms are free and can be reproduced for clinical and research purposes. 

Psychometric data for norms, validity and reliability across scales have been collected from 300 young and older adults in the community and over 100 in clinical settings. The results are currently being analysed and should be available soon. Updates on results and publication will appear on this site.

Download free copy of the SPA©


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For more information about the SPA email us.