title: Consider the simple screw: cognitive science, quality improvement, and psychotherapy.
abstract: Psychological therapy based on cognitive science advances as psychological states can be precisely measured. This article describes a treatment approach, personal quality improvement (PQI), that draws on (a) the states of mind (SOM) model, a mathematical model built on cognitive assessment research on the balance of positive and negative thoughts and feelings; (b) total quality control, a method for improving quality as defined by increased system stability by empowering average workers to reduce variability through process monitoring; and (c) the phase model of psychotherapy, a framework that proposes 3 distinct stages of treatment. In a single-case study, a depressed client used PQI to track emotional, self-image, and optimism balance, achieving an improvement trajectory consistent with the SOM and phase models. PQI emphasizes process, uses a patient focused treatment paradigm that provides tools for autonomous functioning, and allows for calibration of psychological measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. robsch@pitt.edu
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D019336:Cognitive Science; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D019954:Neurobehavioral Manifestations; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept