RESEARCH AT DHG CENTRE
MASTERS THESIS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HG THERAPY - CONDUCTED AT THE DUBLIN HUMAN GIVENS CENTRE
Abstract
Many commentators acknowledge that the efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapy has by now been established.
The growth of practice-based research methodologies in the last decade – particularly benchmarking – however, offers the opportunity to build ecologically-valid research which simultaneously answers professional, societal and academic needs for effective and high-quality evidence- based treatment and practice. The purpose of this naturalistic study is to assess the effectiveness of Human Givens (HG) Psychotherapy in Ireland for the first time. Replicating Andrews et al., (2011) pre- and post- treatment CORE-10 outcome measure scores were benchmarked against those of HG treatment effectiveness found in its UK primary care sample. Effect size (Cohen’s d) clinical equivalence was surpassed against the benchmark for all with valid scores and those clinical at inception (n=33, d=1.56; n=28; d=2.29 as benchmarked against n=107, d=1.27). This study reports 82% of the clinical population demonstrated ‘reliable improvement’ over an average of 3 sessions (n=25; M=12, SD=5.29). 71% of the clinical group recovered and reliably improved (n = 20; M= 12.2, SD=5.21), the largest percentage of recovery yet of Human Givens using similar measures, and over the shortest session number. Potential moderators of such change are explored before concluding that the study, albeit limited by the relatively small sample size, serves to reinforce the plausibility of HG Therapy in the effective and efficient treatment of psychological distress. Recommendations, including the further investigation of HG for State-sponsored intervention in primary care, as well as the adoption of routine outcome measurement to foster therapy effectiveness, therapist effectiveness, and practice-research databases from which future research questions could be explored, are offered.
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The Effectiveness of HG Therapy – Research at The Dublin Human Givens Centre