Initiative Description: School-based humanistic counselling for psychological distress. “Young people who were considered appropriate for inclusion in the study were randomised using an automated telephone system provided by an academic institution, and advised of their allocation (intervention group or waiting list) before the end of the assessment interview. At six weeks (midpoint) and 12 weeks (endpoint) post-randomisation, the participants met with a researcher to complete the psychological measures.
Endpoint researchers were blind to the young person’s allocation.”

Study Results: At six-week midpoint, participants in the intervention condition improved significantly more than those in the waiting list condition on the primary outcome measure, the YP-CORE; However, at 12-week the only significant difference was on the Goal-Based Outcomes tool.

Reference: Pybis, J., Cooper, M., Hill, A., Cromarty, K., Levesley, R., Murdoch, J., & Turner, N. (2015). Pilot randomised controlled trial of school-based humanistic counseling for psychological distress in young people: Outcomes and methodological reflections. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, 15(4), 241–250. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12009

Level of Evidence: