Evaluate the outcome and adjust

After implementing, honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, and what to do next.

Why it works

Outcome evaluation closes the PST learning loop: without it, a partial success is experienced as failure and a failure generates no actionable information. Structured outcome review teaches people to extract specific lessons ("the timing was wrong, not my capacity"), which builds problem-solving self-efficacy incrementally rather than leaving outcome interpretation to depressive bias.

How to do it

1. At the review point, assess: did the solution achieve the goal, partially or fully?
2. If yes: note what worked and consider the problem solved or ready for the next stage.
3. If no: diagnose whether the problem definition, the solution, or the implementation was the failure point.
4. Return to the appropriate stage — redefine if the problem changed, generate new solutions if the chosen one failed.

Evidence

Outcome evaluation and iterative refinement are built into the PST protocol; the learning loop structure is consistent with control theory models of self-regulation, and the full PST protocol including evaluation shows RCT benefits for depression. (clinical)

The evaluation phase is rarely tested in isolation; its contribution to PST outcomes relative to the other phases is not decomposed in published trials.

Sources

• Nezu, Nezu & D’Zurilla (2013), Problem-Solving Therapy: A Treatment Manual

Common mistake

Treating partial success as complete failure and abandoning the approach — PST is iterative by design; the first solution attempt is expected to require refinement.