Brief Description

The Session Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ) is a self-report tool used to assess the participant’s immediate response to a therapy or counseling session. The SEQ-27 is a revised version of the original scale and includes 27 items that evaluate how clients perceived the session in terms of helpfulness, depth, emotional tone, and satisfaction.

Purpose

The SEQ is designed to capture clients’ subjective impressions of a therapy session. It provides insight into how the session was experienced emotionally and cognitively, and it helps therapists track client progress, session impact, and therapeutic alliance across time.

Scoring Method

The SEQ-27 includes bipolar adjective scales (e.g., helpful–unhelpful, calm–agitated, deep–superficial) rated on 7-point scales. The items are grouped into four key dimensions: Depth, Smoothness, Positivity, and Arousal. Responses are scored by averaging relevant items per subscale. Higher scores indicate stronger endorsement of the respective experience (e.g., greater depth or smoothness).

Validity

The SEQ has demonstrated strong construct and criterion validity. Factor analyses consistently support the proposed four-factor structure. It has been positively correlated with therapeutic alliance and client satisfaction, and its sensitivity to session quality makes it useful in both clinical and research contexts.

Reliability

Internal consistency is high, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients typically ranging from 0.80 to 0.90 across subscales. The SEQ also shows acceptable test-retest reliability when used across consecutive sessions.

Data Analysis and Use

Data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, subscale averages, and correlations with therapy outcomes. It is used in psychotherapy research, clinical practice, and training programs to evaluate session effectiveness, track change, and improve therapist feedback and self-awareness.

References

Stiles, W. B. (1980). Measurement of the impact of psychotherapy sessions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 176–185.
Elliott, R., Stiles, W. B., & Shapiro, D. A. (1993). Are some psychotherapies more equivalent than others? Psychological Bulletin, 113(3), 398–410.
Elliott, R., & Wexler, M. M. (1994). Measuring the impact of sessions in process–experiential therapy of depression: The Session Evaluation Questionnaire. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 41(2), 166–174.