Psychological treatments often have sufficient effect. Measurement-based care (MBC) could help improve this impact further. With MBC, clients complete questionnaires during treatment about their symptoms, outcomes or the treatment process. Practitioners then review the results and discuss them with their clients, after which the practitioner and client meet to discuss how the treatment process can be improved. MBC could therefore serve as a joint stethoscope of practitioners and clients in the mental health sector. However, little is known about exactly how MBC works and the technique is rarely used in practice. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge and application of MBC.
The first part explores the various preconditions for the use of MBC in youth mental health. The Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS) was found to be good at determining the extent to which practitioners have a positive attitude towards MBC. The Treatment Support Measure (TSM) proved useful in providing MBC feedback with concrete tips to improve treatment.
In the second part, the various preconditions for the use of MBC in youth mental health were examined, along with the effects of MBC implementation strategies in basic mental healthcare for adults. No unequivocal conclusions could be drawn. Implementing and securing the use of MBC proved to be very complex. We therefore made recommendations to improve the implementation and use of MBC in both youth and adult mental health settings.
Maartje van Sonsbeek (1986) obtained her Master's degree in Developmental Psychology in 2007. Since then, she has worked as a scientist-practitioner at Pro Persona. As a PhD student, Maartje researched the implementation and use of Measurement-Based Care (MBC) in youth and adult mental health services. She was also part of the Centre for Care Monitoring (CvZM) and the Inside-Out Academic Youth Workshop Nijmegen. Since 2017, Maartje has been a member of the International Network for Psychotherapy Innovations and Research into Effectiveness (INSPIRE). As a GZ psychologist, Maartje has worked in prevention, basic mental healthcare and specialised mental healthcare, with a focus on youth care. Maartje has worked at FACT Jeugd Rivierenland since 2016, where she is the head practitioner and linking pin. She also supervises students and staff Finally, Maartje has been one of the editors of the journal Kind en Adolescent Praktijk since 2022.