ABSTRACT
People become therapists, in part, because they want to help others, and all of the people want to do a good job. And yet, there is no denying that some therapists are simply more effective than others. Unfortunately, the evidence shows that therapists are not very good at determining their own clinical effectiveness and tend to overestimate their abilities. This is not particularly surprising; the Dunning-Kruger effect is a well-known phenomenon in psychology. Basically, it refers to the tendency people in general have in considering their skills, knowledge and ability to be above average. Establishing a baseline of effectiveness requires measurement of one's outcomes, which, in practical terms, means routine use of outcome measures in clinical practice. There is now overwhelming evidence to show the benefits of the use of outcome measures from increased positive outcomes to reduced drop-outs.
