PARTICIPATING IN A COUPLES THERAPY OUTCOME STUDY - PARTICIPANTS VIEWS

Discovering that participants who received therapy in a research proje ct and were being debriefed in a therapy outcome study considered thos e assessment sessions therapeutic, the authors conclude that participa nts: (a) are aware of the research context, (b) have some idea about h ow it affected the treatment they got, and (c) see positive outcomes f or taking part in the study. Assessment and treatment were not separat ed in the minds of some participants, as they had been in the mind of the researchers.