Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) Survey

The feedback informed treatment (FIT) survey is a self-reflective questionnaire that is sent to your client prior to the commencement of their session. This short survey helps you provide informed treatment and guides your conversation with the client during the session.

The FIT survey supports clients to keep track of their progress, encourages self-reflection and improves awareness of key mental health metrics. For organisations, the de-identified data provides them with a richer data set that outlines wellbeing and progress across their employee base. This can help drive internal initiatives and allow organisations to provide greater support where and when needed.

Why does converge request a FIT survey?

FIT has been introduced by Converge to support client wellbeing. This is done in two ways: 

1. Self-reflection, insight and accountability are integral in mental wellbeing. The survey supports clients to keep track of their progress, encourages self-reflection and improves awareness of key mental health metrics. 

1. Through de-identified data, organisations get a richer data set that outlines wellbeing and progress across their employee base. This helps drive internal initiatives and allows them to provide greater support when and where required. 

In summary, the survey is not a commercial initiative by Converge nor an internal quality or performance measure. It has been introduced purely as a tool for improved client centric clinical/wellbeing outcomes. Please refer to Scott Miller’s extensive research for more information. 

(PDF) Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT): Improving the Outcome of Psychotherapy One Person at a Time (researchgate.net) 

The effect of feedback-informed cognitive behavioral therapy on treatment outcome: A randomized controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov) 

How does the FIT survey benefit different stakeholders?

Your client: Your client will be the greatest beneficiary of the Feedback Informed Treatment survey. During the survey, it encourages self-reflection and improves awareness of key mental health metrics. Ongoing, the survey allows the client to reflect and track progress. The results help drive conversations and goal setting during the session, allowing the client to make the most of their EAP.

You, the consultant: The information provided by your clients' completed survey, will inform the setting of goals and objectives aligned to the Employee Assistance Program. It will guide conversations to the key areas that your client may need to address, helping to provide targeted and sustainable outcomes.

The clients' organisation: For the organisation of the client, they receive de-identifiable data which provides them with a richer data set that outlines wellbeing and progress across their employee base. This can help drive internal initiatives and allow organisations to provide greater support where and when needed.

Positioning statements for the FIT survey

Don’t overcomplicate the need for FIT - The FIT survey will allow you, the consultant to provide informed treatment solutions using the clients' self-reflection survey results.

Speak openly about FIT - by having this information, both the consultant and the client can make effective use of the Employee Assistance Program with targeted treatment and conversations, while tracking progress to assist with strategies and interventions; and planning external treatment or support outside of the EAP if needed.

FIT is convenient - Completing it will help the client achieve the best possible outcomes using effective tools and planning - it can be completed quickly (taking approximately 1 minute) and is confidential. The data is de-identified when shared with organisations, providing them with a richer data set that outlines wellbeing and progress across their employee base. This can help drive internal initiatives and allow organisations to provide greater support where and when needed.

What if my client doesn’t want to complete the survey?

There are two scenarios where we do not require a client to fill out the survey:

1. Where risk is present and focus must be on ensuring client safety

2. When the client is strongly resistant. It is important to not feel pressure to get the client to fill in the survey when resistance remains despite the Consultant providing an explanation.

How often is the client needing to complete the survey?

The FIT survey is sent prior to each session.

Is the survey mandatory?

You should take some time to explain the benefits of FIT for you and the client. Remind the client about the FIT survey being sent to them a few minutes prior to their next session so they have awareness.

I get confused by the different domains (individual and interpersonal). Is there a simple way to remember this? 

When discussing FIT with your client, they may ask about individual and interpersonal questions from the survey.

• Individual is how you are feeling as an individual in that moment in time;

• Intrapersonal is how you’re feeling in relation to your intimate partnerships and your close relationships.  

A good way to explain it to clients is in question form: 

• Individual: What is my mood right now? 

• Vocational: How do I feel being at work today? 

• Interpersonal: How is my relationship with my intimate partner(s) and/or family? 

• Social: How is my social life? Do I feel part of my community? 

• Overall: How do I feel about my whole life in general? 

The 5 domains seem to overlap. How do I differentiate between them for the client? 

The survey is less about getting the categories perfect and more about enabling the client to fill it in, and supporting the notion of general self-reflection and increased awareness/insight. Spending one minute in reflecting on one’s state of wellbeing is the beginning to problem solving the issues relating to it.  

Give the client permission to not overthink it. The survey is about reflection and counselling is about goal setting and the unpacking and subsequent action from the reflection. 

How does the client receive a FIT survey?

Your client receives the FIT survey by either Text Message (with a link in the message) or by email if the client hasn’t provided a mobile number. The survey needs to be completed before the start time of the session.

What happens if the client would prefer to opt out/not receive these SMS?

Client services will ensure that the SMS is not sent; and instead, the survey will be sent to the client’s email address.

If the client declines the option of sending the link to their email address, the Consultant will still receive the link and can go through the questions with the client at the beginning of the session.

Where is the data stored?

The client’s survey results are stored on a secure platform within Australia according to current privacy legislation requirements. Consultants will be responsible for ensuring the client results are periodically deleted from emails as per normal email hygiene.

Will the Survey results be used by my manager in performance management conversations?

No –the data is for use between client and consultant only and is designed to inform the therapeutic process and support the interventions as determined between client and consultant.

Next steps:

If you have further questions, contact your clinical manager to discuss further. For any technical issues with FIT surveys, contact the User Support team at Support - Converge International