As part of our efforts to improve the quality of the services we provide, the GMU CPS maintains a Clinical Assessment Database. All clients receiving therapy services at the Center are asked to complete a set of assessment instruments at the beginning and end of treatment as well as throughout the course of therapy. The assessment battery measures various aspects of social and psychological functioning. This information is used by clinicians and supervisors to select the best course of treatment, monitor progress over the course of therapy, and to informally evaluate the effectiveness of intervention techniques.
All clients are invited to include the data from their assessment instruments into the Clinical Research Database. The research database contains the data of clients who have provided written informed consent agreeing to have their assessment data used for research purposes. The Clinical Research Database has several purposes. First, the data collected is used by the Center to evaluate the effectiveness of the services we provide. This increases our understanding of empirically-based interventions while allowing informed decisions to be made about how to improve psychotherapy services. Second, both the Clinical and Assessment Research Databases serve as valuable resources for faculty and students interested in pursuing research projects.