A client focused perspective of the effectiveness of Counselling for Depression (CfD)

Background In the UK, only one in four people with a diagnosis of depression receive any form of treatment. To address this, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme was established with the main therapeutic approach being cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This raised concern regarding client choice, prompting the development of a new evidence-based manualised therapy, namely ‘Counselling for Depression’ [CfD]. To date, the client's view of the effectiveness of CfD has not been researched. Aims The aims of this study were twofold: (1) to explore and evaluate CfD from the perspective of the client and (2) to inform the counselling profession of the client's perception of what is occurring within this therapeutic approach. Methodology This qualitative study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the ideographic aspect valuing each individual narrative and the contribution it makes towards a larger account of the phenomenon from a small group of people. Twelve participants receiving CfD completed a Helpful Aspects of Therapy questionnaire after each counselling session, with ten participating in a semi-structured interview post counselling. Findings Four superordinate themes were identified: A helpful process, Client's view of a counsellor, Gains and Negative aspects. Participants perceived this model of therapy as helpful, feeling understood by their counsellors and able to work through issues in a safe therapeutic relationship. Negative findings related to counselling being ‘hard work’ and a dislike of the time limitation that curtailed the work. Implications Participants believed this type of counselling met their needs, reassuring practitioners that CfD is helpful to their clients