There are two methods used to classify therapy progress as on-track
or off-track. The first is to use empirically derived algorithms
based on large therapy outcome data sets to estimate the trajectory
of adjustment across therapy associated with benefit at the end of
therapy. Clients' progress is classified as off-track when their trajectory
of change diverges markedly from those clients who have
been found to benefit from therapy. While empirical algorithms
have been used in individual therapy studies, there are not sufficiently large data sets of couple therapy to develop such algorithms.
The alternative method is to use expert derived algorithms, in
which therapy experts are asked: “if the initial presentation is with
a score of ‘X’, what score would be necessary after ‘Y’ sessions to
signal to you that therapy was unlikely to be of benefit?”
Empirically-derived algorithms and expert derived algorithms are
similar in their accuracy of prediction of outcome in individual
therapy, and hence expert derived algorithms
may be useful in couple therapy progress monitoring