Outcome research answers which question about counseling?

• A. How effective is counseling?
• B. How long does counseling take?
• C. What is the cost of counseling?
• D. Which therapy model works best?

Answer: (A)

Outcome research asks about the results of counseling, focusing on how effective counseling is for clients. It measures whether counseling leads to meaningful changes in symptoms, functioning, or well-being and uses metrics like symptom scales or quality-of-life measures to determine the size and reliability of those effects. This area looks at the impact of counseling across settings and populations, often reporting effect sizes to show how substantial the benefits are. The other questions—how long counseling lasts, how much it costs, or which therapy model is best—pertain to duration, economics, or comparative approaches, not the core question of whether counseling produces meaningful improvements.