---
title: Does a brief consultation with a counselor help more than self-help materials alone for PMS?
description: Both helped reduce anxiety and life interference from PMS, but women who had a brief consultation with a counselor reported broader improvements, including le
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/evaluating-the-relative-efficacy-of-a-selfhelp-and-minimal-psychoeducational-2006/
---

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- Does a brief consultation with a counselor help more than self-help materials alone for PMS?

Randomised trial, 2006

# Does a brief consultation with a counselor help more than self-help materials alone for PMS?

Both helped reduce anxiety and life interference from PMS, but women who had a brief consultation with a counselor reported broader improvements, including less depression and better coping skills, though symptoms did not completely go away.

 Early or limited evidence

32 women (20 completed) with moderate premenstrual distress

## What they did

32 women with moderate PMS were randomly assigned to receive either self-help materials alone (11 completed) or self-help materials plus a brief face-to-face consultation with a clinician (9 completed). 14 women (7 in each group) were interviewed before and after.

## What they found

Both groups reduced anxiety and life interference from PMS. The group that had a brief consultation reported additional improvements: significant reductions in depression, significant reductions in distress caused by PMS, and significant improvements in ability to cope with symptoms. All women still experienced some premenstrual changes after the program, but they reported less distress about them and felt they could manage symptoms through behavioral or thinking changes.

## What it means for you

Counseling on top of self-help materials offers additional benefits for coping with PMS, particularly for mood symptoms and sense of control. However, this was a very small pilot study (only 20 women completed it), so results may not apply to all women.

32

Women enrolled

20

Women who completed

14

Women interviewed

## About the study

Original title Evaluating the relative efficacy of a self‐help and minimal psycho‐educational intervention for moderate premenstrual distress conducted from a critical realist standpoint Authors Jane Maria Ussher, Janette Perz Journal Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology Year 2006 Study design Randomised trial Participants 32 What was tested Self-help materials alone versus self-help materials plus counseling Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/02646830600974147](https://doi.org/10.1080/02646830600974147)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)

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