effectiveness of counselling

Last reviewed 01/2018

• the evidence is limited - however there is evidence to suggest that, in the short term, brief counselling (usually fewer than 8 sessions) delivered by practice counsellors results in better psychological symptom levels than usual GP care in the management of a wide range of primary care mental health problems - however the clinical significance of this evidence is unclear (1)
  • counselling is associated with modest improvement in short-term outcome compared with usual general practitioner care, and thus may be a useful addition to mental health services in primary care (2)

Reference:

• (1) Rowland N, Godfrey C, Bower P, Mellor-Clark J, Heywood P, Hardy R. Counselling in primary care: a systematic review of the research evidence. Br J Guid Couns 2000; 28:215-31.
• (2) Bower P et al.The clinical effectiveness of counselling in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2003 Feb;33(2):203-15.