The DASS is a great way to monitor a patient’s overall progress across the course of psychotherapy. With the three scales of depression, anxiety, and stress, the measure captures the core factors accounting for the majority of psychological symptoms. Even better, the measure is brief, easy for clients to complete, and free! For regular tracking, we recommend using the DASS-21, which is available here. For more information on the DASS, click here.

Note:The last two items on this measure were added with the permission of Lovibond & Lovibond to screen briefly for suicidal ideation on a consistent basis.  They are not included in the scoring of the DASS scales and have not to date been scientifically validated but may be clinically useful.

We recommend that the client complete the measure prior to the intake session and then every week before their regular therapy session. The following spreadsheet can be used to keep track of a client’s session-by-session scores on the questionnaires. It will score the DASS-21, provide information about the severity of symptoms, and make a plot of changes in scores over time. Take a look at the version including sample data first, so that you can get a feel for how the spreadsheet works.  Enter data on the sheet marked 'data entry' and the results on the 'report' sheet will be updated automatically

DASS scoring program (w/ sample data)

DASS scoring program

The DASS manual and other information is available from the DASS website at www.psy.unsw.edu.au/dass (go to the link for the DASS on the menu to the left).

OPT Therapy Feedback Scale

Research has taught us that a strong working alliance between the therapist and the client is a necessary ingredient for effective psychotherapy. The OPT Therapy Feedback Scale is based on well-validated working alliance measures, but it is different in that it is designed to be used to track the quality of the working relationship at each psychotherapy session. Our expectation is that steadily monitoring the client’s perceptions of the quality of the therapeutic relationship will provide feedback that is useful for keeping treatment headed in the right direction!

We are currently working to validate the measure empirically and will have a version available at a later date that will include scoring and interpretation instructions.

We would love your input as we develop this measure. Please let us know what you have found useful about it, as well as ways that you would like to see us improve it. Contact Cannon Thomas, and thanks in advance for your help.

OPT Therapy Feedback Scale