Making assessment relevant to treatment planning: The STS clinician ratingform

This article reports on the development of a computerized, clinician-based method of assessing patient variables that contribute to differential assig nment of psychotherapy models. In the current health care environment, omni bus personality tests and current state measures are both expensive and ins ensitive to most of the empirically defined patient characteristics that ha ve been identified as indicators of different treatment qualities. Moreover , reliance on patient self-report introduces a variety of distortions and l imits predictive studies and follow-up assessments to those who are coopera tive. These factors limit the usefulness of the currently available procedu res. Aptitude-Treatment-Interaction (ATI) research has revealed differentia l effects of manualized cognitive, interpersonal, and insight oriented trea tments as a function on a select number of relatively specific personality and symptom qualities. A cost- and time-efficient method of measuring these dimensions could increase the power of treatment by identifying in advance those that are likely to be most effective for a given patient. The STS (S ystematic Treatment Selection) Clinician Rating Form is a relatively brief, clinician-based measure of a variety of patient dimensions, including subj ective distress, various aspects of coping style, and resistance traits. Cu rrent data reveal good interrater reliability and adequate levels of discri minant and convergent validity. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.