EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

COPES Worksheet

Four Elements in a Well-Formulated Question
These are examples of actual questions that were brainstormed by a group of practitioners who participated in this training.
Five Question Types / Client Type
and Problem / What You
Might Do / Alternative Course
of Action / What You Want
To Accomplish
How would I describe a group of clients of a similar type? Be specific. / Apply a treatment; act o prevent a problem; measure to assess a problem; survey clients; screen clients to assess risk. / What is the main alternative other than in the box to the left? / Outcome of treatment or prevention? Valid measure? Accurate risk estimation, prevented behavior, accurate estimation of need?
Effectiveness / If young married couples who have a history of difficult attachments / Are given intensive individual counseling / Or are treated together as a couple / Which will result in fewer instances of family violence?
Effectiveness / If young immigrant men who are socially isolated / Participate in a peer support group / Or are linked to community organizations through intensive case management / Which will result in a reduction in social isolation
Effectiveness / If young children in families with parents who are struggling with drug addiction / Are given play therapy / Or are given play therapy and participate in high quality day care programs / Which will result in secure attachment? Or social skills? Or reduce depression?
Assessment / If young married women who have a history of poor attachments / Are administered a standardized attachment assessment measure / Or are assessed by common sense/ clinical judgment / Will the standardized attachment assessment measure have a higher reliability and predictive validity for marital problems?

With permission from Gibbs, L. (2003). Evidence-based practice for the helping professions: A practical guide with integrated multimedia. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole--Thomson Learning.