Effectiveness of training methods for delivery of evidence-based psychotherapies: a systematic review

Consultation Content and Techniques for measurement-Based Care Implementation in Youth Community Mental Health Settings

Measurement-based care (MBC) is an evidence-based practice (EBP) focused on regularly administering outcome measures to clients to inform clinical decision making. While MBC shows promise for improving youth treatment outcomes, therapist adoption remains low. Clinical consultation is one strategy that improves MBC implementation, but our limited understanding of consultation hinders the ability to optimize its impact. This research explored the content of, and techniques used during MBC consultation calls. Therapists (N = 55) in a randomized controlled trial treating adolescents with anxiety and/or depression were trained to utilize MBC with usual treatment using the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (YOQ) through an online measurement feedback system (MFS). Weekly ongoing consultation followed an initial workshop training in MBC. Case discussions (N = 294) during consultation calls were coded using a developed codebook, including 12 content and 10 consultant techniques. Results indicated that content focused predominantly on interpretation of client symptom and alliance report, planning for YOQ administration, and discussion of data with clients in session. Common consultant techniques included modeling and eliciting report viewing and interpretation, making clinical suggestions, and didactics about clinical and technical issues. Notably, role-play/behavioral rehearsal was not used. The prevalence of passive consultation techniques (suggestions, didactics) suggests a focus on teaching rather than active techniques (behavioral rehearsal, modeling), potentially influenced by the novelty of MBC and MFS. Technical aspects of MBC, such as measure administration and system usage, emerged as key consultation content, highlighting an unanticipated emphasis on logistics over clinical implementation. These findings underscore the evolving role of consultation in supporting MBC implementation and suggest that addressing technical challenges early in training might enhance adoption.

Trauma focused-cognitive behavioral therapy training effectiveness in promoting professional development of psychotherapists working with unaccompanied minors in Greece: a non-blinded randomized control trial

The need to develop psychotherapists' skills to respond to current treatment challenges, such as addressing trauma due to the refugee crisis, is increasing. However, there is a dearth of evidencebased training for psychotherapists who work with refugees, especially in frontline countries. A randomly selected sample of 80 clinicians working with unaccompanied minors (UAMs) in Greek accommodation centers nationwide participated in an intensive trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) training (n=44) or a control-group (n=36) and completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale, the Work and Meaning Inventory and a questionnaire to assess knowledge and therapeutic skills, in pre-andpost measurements. Clinicians with 1-3 years of experience with refugees reported higher burnout (p=0.012, M=25.78 vs M=22.04) and secondary traumatic stress than those with less than a year (p=0.014, M=22.03 vs M=18.04). Positive meaning at work increased in both groups at post-test (TF-CBT group: p=0.019, M=15 vs M=13.6, and control group: p<0.001, M=15.17 vs M=13.42). The TF-CBT training group outperformed the control group in knowledge and skills (p=0.021, M=10.15 vs M=8.75) and identified a lower number of children with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (p=0.009, M=6.94 vs M=4.33) post-training. This study provides preliminary evidence on TF-CBT training effectiveness in equipping psychotherapists to work with UAMs, while their professional quality of life warrants further research.

Training approaches for the dissemination of clinical guidelines for NSSI: a quasi-experimental trial

BACKGROUND

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is of high clinical relevance due to its high prevalence and negative long-term implications. In 2016, the German consensus-based clinical guidelines for diagnostic, assessment and treatment of NSSI in childhood and adolescence were published. However, research indicates that clinical guidelines are often poorly implemented in clinical practice. One crucial part of this process is the training of healthcare professionals to transfer knowledge and capacities to bring guideline recommendations into clinical practice.

METHODS

The effect of three different dissemination strategies (printed educational material, e-learning, and blended-learning) on the NSSI guidelines´ recommendations was examined among 671 physicians and psychotherapists via an online-survey. The quasi-experimental study included three measurement points (before the training, after the training, 3-month follow-up) and mixed effects models were used to test for changes in knowledge, competences and attitudes toward NSSI and treatment. Moreover, the transfer of gained competences to practical work and user satisfaction were reviewed.

RESULTS

With all three training formats, the intended changes of the outcome variables could be observed. Hereby, the printed educational material condition showed the lowest improvement in the scores for the 'negative attitudes toward NSSI and those who self-injure'. The training effect remained stable throughout the follow-up measurement. The highest application rate of acquired intervention techniques in clinical practice was reported for the blended-learning condition. For all three training strategies, user satisfaction was high and evaluation of training quality was positive, with printed educational material receiving the lowest and blended-learning the highest evaluations.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, all three training formats were perceived to be of high quality and seem to be suited to cover the needs of a heterogeneous group of physicians and psychotherapists. The choice of training method could be driven by considering which training goals are desired to be achieved and by the benefit-cost ratio allowing for tailored training approaches.

Therapist Participation in a Learning Collaborative on Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Impact of COVID-related Stressors and Challenges

The rise in mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the need to improve access to evidence-based treatments (EBT) and necessitated changes in treatment delivery and training of mental health providers (MHPs). There is limited information on how the pandemic may have impacted MHPs' participation in training and treatment delivery. This study included 269 MHPs who participated in a Learning Collaborative (LC) focused on an EBT. Qualitative interviews conducted with 15 MHPs who participated in the LC during the pandemic identified facilitators and barriers to training participation and EBT delivery that included social support, technology challenges, and difficulty completing cases following the transition to telehealth. Quantitative results showed that MHPs in the peri-COVID cohorts completed significantly fewer cases and fewer consultation calls compared to those prior to the pandemic. Findings suggest that providing support to train MHPs and promote EBT delivery may be beneficial during times of heightened stress.

Psychotherapies in opioid use disorder: toward a step-care model

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is characterized by a lack of control in opioid use, resulting in psychological distress and deficits in interpersonal and social functioning. OUD is often associated with psychiatric comorbidities that increase the severity of the disorder. The consequences of OUD are dramatic in terms of increased morbi-mortality. Specific medications and psychotherapies are essential tools not only in the treatment of OUD but also in the prevention of suicide and overdoses. In our review, we assess the different types of psychotherapies (counseling, motivational interviewing, contingency management, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and dialectical-behavior therapy) that are delivered to opioid users, either associated or un-associated with OUD medications and/or medications for psychiatric disabilities. We describe the application of these therapies first to adult opioid users and then to adolescents. This work led us to propose a stepped-care model of psychotherapies for OUD which provided information to assist clinicians in decision-making regarding the selection of psychotherapeutic strategies according to patients' OUD severity.

Exploring the Impact of External Facilitation Using Evidence-Based Implementation Strategies for Increasing Motivational Interviewing Capacity Among Outpatient Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Providers

The large majority of individuals who access substance use disorders (SUD) treatment do not receive evidence-based care. Little attention has been paid to the notion that the scale-up of evidence-based practices (EBPs) has been limited in large part due to a weakness in the "distribution system" for bringing new innovations to the attention of practitioners and into practice settings. This study explores the impact of the Training and Practice Implementation Institute (TPII; funded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), an intensive technical assistance initiative that offers external facilitation to outpatient SUD treatment providers via the incorporation of multiple evidence-based implementation strategies to enhance the practice of motivational interviewing (MI). Findings from this study show that staff completed a large majority (86%) of required training/technical assistance (TTA) activities across the 9-month implementation period, demonstrating a high level of engagement among staff and the feasibility of externally facilitated intensive TTA delivered to community-based organizations for the purpose of enhancing implementation of MI for SUDs. Results also show statistically significant improvements in the delivery of MI's technical components among staff, though did not reveal corresponding improvements in the delivery of MI's relational components. An understanding of the potential return on investment associated with externally facilitated TA, offers organizations an opportunity to inform the allocation of limited resources to areas where they will have the greatest impact and ultimately improve the quality and efficacy of services.

Consultation as an Implementation Strategy to Increase Fidelity of Measurement-Based Care Delivery in Community Mental Health Settings: An Observational Study

Regularly administering outcome measures to clients to inform clinical decision making, referred to as measurement-based care (MBC), has the potential to improve mental health treatment due to its applicability across disorders and treatment settings. Given the utility of MBC, understanding predictors of high-fidelity MBC implementation is important. Training and consultation are widely used implementation strategies to increase the fidelity of evidence-based practice delivery but have rarely been studied with MBC. The current study will examine the relationship between time clinicians spent discussing a case in consultation ("dosage") and MBC fidelity. Thirty clinicians and 56 youth were in the MBC condition of a randomized controlled trial and completed baseline questionnaires. Consultation dosage was extracted from call notes. MBC fidelity was measured using the implementation index, which combines rates of administering and viewing questionnaires, using objective data from the online MBC system. Multi-level modeling was used. Greater consultation dosage significantly predicted a higher implementation index (ß = 0.27, SE = 0.06, p < .001). For every 30 min spent discussing a case in consultation, the case's MBC fidelity increased by 8.1%. Greater consultation dosage significantly predicted higher rates of administration (ß = 0.07, SE = 0.03, p = 0.033) and feedback report viewing (ß = 0.24, SE = 0.06, p < .001). More consultation at the case level predicts greater MBC fidelity using objective measures. The greatest impact was increasing the clinician feedback report viewing rate. The results of this study can help inform future efforts to increase the fidelity with which MBC is delivered and to make consultation as efficient and effective as possible.

Pilot Trial of Online Measurement Training and Feedback in Family Therapy for Adolescent Behavior Problems

OBJECTIVE

Pragmatic procedures for sustaining high-fidelity delivery of evidence-based interventions are needed to support implementation in usual care. This study tested an online therapist training system, featuring observational coder training and self-report fidelity feedback, to promote self-report acumen and routine use of family therapy (FT) techniques for adolescent behavior problems.

METHOD

Therapists (N = 84) from nine substance use and mental health treatment sites reported on 185 adolescent clients. Therapists submitted baseline data on FT technique use with clients, completed a workshop introducing the 32-week training system, and were randomly assigned by site to Core Training versus Core Training + Consultation. Core Training included a therapist coder training course (didactic instruction and mock session coding exercises in 13 FT techniques) and fidelity feedback procedures depicting therapist-report data on FT use. Consultation convened therapists and supervisors for one-hour monthly sessions with an external FT expert. During the 32 weeks of training, therapists submitted self-report data on FT use along with companion session audiotapes subsequently coded by observational raters.

RESULTS

Therapist self-report reliability and accuracy both increased substantially during training. Observers reported no increase over time in FT use; therapists self-reported a decrease in FT use, likely an artifact of their improved self-report accuracy. Consultation did not enhance therapist self-report acumen or increase FT use.

CONCLUSIONS

Online training methods that improve therapist-report reliability and accuracy for FT use may confer important advantages for treatment planning and fidelity monitoring. More intensive and/or different training interventions appear needed to increase routine FT delivery.

Comparing In-Person and Synchronous Online Training for an Evidence-Based Treatment

Online trainings in evidence-based treatments (EBT) can be effective platforms and may provide better access to community providers as compared with traditional in-person trainings. However, questions remain as to whether online trainings can achieve similar rates of training engagement and model application to traditional in-person trainings. We compared training engagement and model application (e.g., extent of use, fidelity) between participants attending in-person (n = 127) and synchronous online (n = 277) trainings for an EBT (Alternatives for Families: a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; AF-CBT). Data were collected through pre- and post-training questionnaires and trainers' records. Chi-square analyses and t-tests were used to test for differences between groups. Engagement regarding attendance at workshops and consultation calls was high for both groups, with no significant differences. A total of 81% and 76% presented at least one case and submitted at least one audio recording of an actual AF-CBT session, respectively. Participants rated the training workshop as high quality (M > 4.5/5), and the consultation calls as medium-to-high quality (M > 4/5) across both modalities, indicating good training engagement. In-person training participants were significantly more likely to submit two or more audio recorded sessions than online training participants. This was the only training requirement outcome that differed between the two groups. In examining model application, there were no significant differences between in-person and online training participants in self-reported delivery of AF-CBT, the number of clients with whom it was implemented, the extent they used the model, or the fidelity with which they delivered it. Both groups reported similar improvements in comfort when working with aggressive families, being directive, and using learning techniques like role plays. Online evidence-based treatment skills training appears to be feasible, efficient, and beneficial, with engagement and performance comparable to in-person training. We discuss potential advantages of online training (e.g., fewer costs, greater flexibility for staff from independent practices) and disadvantages (e.g., less satisfaction).

Supporting Emotionally Exhausted Community Mental Health Therapists in Appropriately Adapting EBPs for Children and Adolescents

Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are often adapted during community implementation to improve EBP fit for clients and the service context. Augmenting EBPs with additional dosing and content may improve fit. However, reducing EBP content can reduce EBP effectiveness. Using multilevel regression models, this study examined whether supportive program climate and program-furnished EBP-specific implementation strategies (e.g., materials, ongoing training, in-house experts) are associated with augmenting and reducing adaptations, and whether therapist emotional exhaustion moderated these associations. Data were collected from surveys completed by 439 therapists from 102 programs 9 years after a system-driven EBP implementation initiative. Supportive program climate was associated with more augmenting adaptations. Emotional exhaustion was a significant moderator. When organizations used more EBP-specific implementation strategies, more emotionally exhausted therapists reduced EBPs less and less emotionally exhausted therapists augmented EBPs more. Findings provide guidance on how organizations can support appropriate EBP adaptations in spite of therapist emotional exhaustion.

Evaluation of Implementation Strategies for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Improving access to evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) is a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) priority. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are effective for chronic pain and several mental health conditions. We synthesized evidence on implementation strategies to increase EBP access and use.

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from inception until March 2021 for articles on EBP implementation within integrated health systems to treat chronic pain or chronic mental health conditions. Reviewers independently screened articles, extracted results, coded qualitative findings, and rated quality using modified criteria from Newcastle-Ottawa (quantitative results) or Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (qualitative results). We categorized implementation strategies using the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) framework and classified outcomes using RE-AIM domains (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance).

RESULTS

Twelve articles (reporting results from 10 studies) evaluated CBT (k = 11) and ACT (k = 1) implementation strategies in large integrated healthcare systems. No studies evaluated MBSR implementation. Eight articles evaluated strategies within VHA. Six articles reported on national VHA EBP implementation programs; all involved training/education, facilitation, and audit/feedback. CBT and ACT implementation demonstrated moderate to large improvements in patient symptoms and quality of life. Trainings increased mental health provider self-efficacy in delivering EBPs, improved provider EBP perceptions, and increased provider EBP use during programs, but had unclear impacts on Reach. It was unclear whether external facilitation added benefit. Provider EBP maintenance was modest; barriers included competing professional time demands and patient barriers.

DISCUSSION

Multi-faceted CBT and ACT implementation programs increased provider EBP Adoption but had unclear impacts on Reach. Future implementation efforts should further evaluate Reach, Adoption, and Maintenance; assess the added value of external facilitation; and consider strategies targeting patient barriers. Future work should use implementation frameworks to guide evaluations of barriers and facilitators, processes of change, and outcomes.

REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration number CRD42021252038.

Implementation of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review

Guidelines strongly recommend trauma-focused therapies to treat posttraumatic stress disorder. Implementation of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and non-VHA settings began in 2006. We conducted a systematic review of implementation facilitators and challenges and strategies to address barriers. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL from inception until March 2021 for English-language articles. Two individuals reviewed eligibility and rated quality. Quantitative results were abstracted by one reviewer and verified by a second. Qualitative results were independently coded by two reviewers and finalized through consensus. We used RE-AIM and CFIR frameworks to synthesize findings. 29 eligible studies addressed CPT/PE, mostly conducted in VHA. Training/education with audit/feedback was the primary implementation strategy and was linked to improved provider CPT/PE perceptions and self-efficacy. Use was not widespread. Only six studies tested other implementation strategies with mixed impact. Following VHA implementation, strong support for training, perceived effectiveness for patients and benefits for clinics, and positive patient experiences and relationships with providers were reported. However, barriers persisted including perceived protocol inflexibility, complex referral processes and patient complexity and competing needs. In non-VHA settings, providers perceived fewer barriers, but few were CPT/PE trained. Across both settings, fewer studies targeted patient factors. Training/education with audit/feedback improved perceptions and the availability of CPT/PE, but not consistent use. Studies testing implementation strategies to address post-training challenges, including patient-level factors, are needed. A few studies are underway in VHA to test patient-focused and other implementation strategies. Research assessing actual vs perceived barriers in non-VHA settings is needed to elucidate unique challenges experienced.

Effective training practices for non-specialist providers to promote high-quality mental health intervention delivery: A narrative review with four case studies from Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States

Mental health needs and disparities are widespread and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the greatest burden being on marginalized individuals worldwide. The World Health Organization developed the Mental Health Gap Action Programme to address growing global mental health needs by promoting task sharing in the delivery of psychosocial and psychological interventions. However, little is known about the training needed for non-specialists to deliver these interventions with high levels of competence and fidelity. This article provides a brief conceptual overview of the evidence concerning the training of non-specialists carrying out task-sharing psychosocial and psychological interventions while utilizing illustrative case studies from Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States to highlight findings from the literature. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of tailoring training to the skills and needs of the non-specialist providers and their roles in the delivery of an intervention. This narrative review with four case studies advocates for training that recognizes the expertise that non-specialist providers bring to intervention delivery, including how they promote culturally responsive care within their communities.

Taking a Magnifying Glass to Measurement-Based Care Consultation Sessions: with What Issues Do Mental Health Clinicians Struggle?

PURPOSE

Ongoing consultation following initial training is one of the most commonly deployed implementation strategies to facilitate uptake of evidence-based practices, such as measurement-based care (MBC). Group consultation provides an interactive experience with an expert and colleagues to get feedback on actual issues faced, yet there is little research that unpacks the questions raised in consultation and what types of issues are important to address.

METHODS

The current study characterized the questions and concerns raised by community mental health clinicians (N = 38 across six clinics) during group consultation sessions completed as part of an MBC implementation trial. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of consultation forms completed by clinicians before each MBC consultation session.

RESULTS

Clinicians sought MBC consultation for clients across a range of ages and levels of depression severity. Qualitative results revealed five main questions and concerns in consultation sessions: (1) how to administer the PHQ-9, (2) how to review PHQ-9 scores, (3) how to respond to PHQ-9 score, (4) the types of clients for whom MBC would be appropriate, and (5) how MBC could impact a clinician's usual care.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight the need for ongoing consultation and limitations of workshop training alone. Practical recommendations for addressing the common questions and concerns identified are presented to support MBC use.

Implementation of a Low-Cost, Multi-component, Web-Based Training for Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Effective, interactive trainings in evidence-based practices remain expensive and largely inaccessible to most practicing clinicians. To address this need, the current study evaluated the impact of a low-cost, multi-component, web-based training for Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) on clinicians' TF-CBT knowledge, strategy use, adherence and skill. Clinician members of a practice-based research network were recruited via email and randomized to either an immediate training group (N = 89 assigned) or waitlist control group (N = 74 assigned) that was offered access to the same training after six months, with half of each group further randomized to receive or not receive incentives for participation. Clinicians completed assessments at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months covering TF-CBT knowledge, strategy use, and for a subset of clinicians (n = 28), TF-CBT adherence and skill. Although significant differences in overall TF-CBT skillfulness and readiness were found, there were no significant differences between the training and waitlist control group on TF-CBT knowledge and strategy use at six months. However, there was considerable variability in the extent of training completed by clinicians. Subsequent post-hoc analyses indicated a significant, positive association between the extent of training completed by clinicians and clinician TF-CBT knowledge, strategy use, demonstrated adherence and skill across the three TF-CBT components, and overall TF-CBT readiness. We also explored whether incentives predicted training participation and found no differences in training activity participation between clinicians who were offered an incentive and those who were not. Findings highlight the limitations of self-paced web-based trainings. Implications for web-based trainings are discussed.

Scaling up quality-assured psychotherapy: The role of therapist competence on perinatal depression and anxiety outcomes

OBJECTIVES

To examine: (1) the psychometric properties of two therapist competence measures-multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ) and standardized role-plays; (2) whether therapist competence differed between non-specialist (NSPs) and specialist (SPs) providers; and (3) the relations between therapist competence and patient outcomes among perinatal patients receiving brief psychotherapy.

METHODS

This study is embedded within the SUMMIT Trial-a large, ongoing psychotherapy trial for perinatal women with depressive and anxiety symptoms. We assessed the: (1) psychometric properties of therapist competence measures using Cronbach's alpha and inter-class correlation; (2) differences in therapist competence scores between n = 23 NSPs and n = 22 SPs using a two-sample t-test; and (3) relations between therapist competence measures and perinatal patient outcomes through a linear regression model.

RESULTS

Internal consistency for role-play was acceptable (α = 0.71), whereas MCQ was excellent (α = 0.97). Role-play showed good inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.80) and scores were higher for SPs compared with NSPs (t(2,38) = -2.86, p = 0.0069) and associated with outcomes of anxiety (B = 1.52, SE = 0.60, p = 0.01) and depressive (B = 0.96, SE = 0.55, p = 0.08) symptom scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlights the importance of demonstrating psychological treatment skills through standardized role-plays over knowledge-based competence to predict perinatal patient outcomes. Using well-defined evidence-based tools is critical for deploying NSPs to provide high-quality psychotherapy and increase accessibility to psychological treatments for perinatal populations worldwide.

Systematic review of training in cognitive-behavioral therapy: Summarizing effects, costs and techniques

With the steadily growing importance of psychotherapeutic care, there is also an increasing need for high-quality training. We analyze the literature published between 2009 and 2022 on the effectiveness of training in cognitive behavioral therapy. The review addresses current gaps in the literature by focusing on the description of specific training components and their associated costs, as well as examining therapist-level predictors of training effectiveness. Our findings confirm the effect of additional supervision on both therapist competence and patient outcomes. Instructor-led training and self-guided web-based training seem to moderately increase competence, especially when targeting specific and highly structured treatments or skills. The level of prior training and experience of a therapist appears to predict the strength of training-related gains in competence. Few studies analyzed the differential effect of certain elements of training (e.g., the amount of active learning strategies) and training costs were generally not reported. Future studies should replicate or expand the existing evidence on active ingredients and therapist-level predictors of training effectiveness. Costs should be systematically reported to enhance the comparability of different training strategies.

Learning Collaboratives: a Strategy for Quality Improvement and Implementation in Behavioral Health

Learning collaboratives are increasingly used in behavioral health. They generally involve bringing together teams from different organizations and using experts to educate and coach the teams in quality improvement, implementing evidence-based practices, and measuring the effects. Although learning collaboratives have demonstrated some effectiveness in general health care, the evidence is less clear in behavioral health and more rigorous studies are needed. Learning collaboratives may contain a range of elements, and which elements are included in any one learning collaborative varies widely; the unique contribution of each element has not been established. This commentary seeks to clarify the concept of a learning collaborative, highlight its common elements, review evidence of its effectiveness, identify its application in behavioral health, and highlight recommendations to guide technical assistance purveyors and behavioral health providers as they employ learning collaboratives to improve behavioral health access and quality.

Engaging stakeholders to inform national implementation of critical time intervention in a program serving homeless-experienced Veterans

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Grant and Per Diem Case Management "Aftercare" program provides 6 months of case management for homeless-experienced Veterans (HEVs) transitioning to permanent housing, with the aim of decreasing returns to homelessness. Implementing Critical Time Intervention (CTI)-an evidence-based case management practice-would standardize care across the 128 community-based agencies that provide Aftercare services. To prepare for national CTI implementation in Aftercare, guided by Replicating Effective Programs (REP), we conducted a four-site pilot in which we adapted a CTI implementation package (training, technical assistance, and external facilitation); characterized stakeholder perspectives regarding the acceptability and appropriateness of this package; and identified contextual factors that affected CTI implementation. We engaged a stakeholder workgroup to tailor existing CTI training and technical assistance materials for Aftercare. To provide tailored support for providers and leaders to adopt and incorporate evidence-based practices (EBPs) into routine care, we also developed external facilitation materials and processes. Over 9 months, we implemented this package at four sites. We conducted semi-structured interviews at pre-implementation, mid-implementation, and 6 months post-implementation, with HEVs (n = 37), case managers (n = 16), supervisors (n = 10), and VA leaders (n = 4); these data were integrated with templated reflection notes from the project facilitator. We used rapid qualitative analysis and targeted coding to assess the acceptability and appropriateness of CTI and our implementation package and identify factors influencing CTI implementation. Stakeholders generally found CTI acceptable and appropriate; there was consensus that components of CTI were useful and compatible for this setting. To adapt our implementation package for scale-up, this pilot highlighted the value of robust and tangible CTI training and technical assistance-grounded in real-world cases-that highlights the congruence of CTI with relevant performance metrics. Variations in agency-level contextual factors may necessitate more intense and tailored supports to implement and sustain complex EBPs like CTI. Processes used in this pilot are relevant for implementing other EBPs in organizations that serve vulnerable populations. EBP scale-up and sustainment can be enhanced by engaging stakeholders to tailor EBPs for specific contexts; pilot testing and refining implementation packages for scale-up; and using qualitative methods to characterize contextual factors that affect EBP implementation.

Building a multicultural peer-consultation team: Planning, implementing, and early sustainment evaluation

This article represents an implementation-focused evaluation of a multicultural peer-consultation team situated within a psychiatry department in a large academic medical center in the Southern United States. The evaluation comprised anonymous self-report questionnaires (n = 14) as well as individual (n = 3) or group interviews (n = 10) conducted by outside independent evaluators. Participants were current and former team members (i.e., graduate trainees, mental health care providers, clinical and research staff members) who voluntarily participated in this multimethod implementation evaluation. Results indicated that attendance on the team had several important impacts on members, and most notably an increased ability to provide multiculturally competent care, that is treatment that carefully and routinely considers the influence of culture and context on patients and therefore their clinical presentation. Further, no negative impacts from participating on the team were noted. A primary strength of the team's sustainability is that participation on the team was deemed to be relevant and useful by current and former team members. A major barrier to participation on the team is competing demands, such as high clinical loads. We conclude that this model for multicultural peer-consultation holds promise as an effective and implementable educational method for mental health care professionals. We discuss strengths, limitations, and future directions for research.

How low can you go? Examining the effects of brief online training and post-training consultation dose on implementation mechanisms and outcomes for measurement-based care

BACKGROUND

Initial training and ongoing post-training consultation (i.e., ongoing support following training, provided by an expert) are among the most common implementation strategies used to change clinician practice. However, extant research has not experimentally investigated the optimal dosages of consultation necessary to produce desired outcomes. Moreover, the degree to which training and consultation engage theoretical implementation mechanisms-such as provider knowledge, skills, and attitudes-is not well understood. This study examined the effects of a brief online training and varying dosages of post-training consultation (BOLT+PTC) on implementation mechanisms and outcomes for measurement-based care (MBC) practices delivered in the context of education sector mental health services.

METHODS

A national sample of 75 clinicians who provide mental health interventions to children and adolescents in schools were randomly assigned to BOLT+PTC or control (services as usual). Those in BOLT+PTC were further randomized to 2-, 4-, or 8-week consultation conditions. Self-reported MBC knowledge, skills, attitudes, and use (including standardized assessment, individualized assessment, and assessment-informed treatment modification) were collected for 32 weeks. Multilevel models were used to examine main effects of BOLT+PTC versus control on MBC use at the end of consultation and over time, as well as comparisons among PTC dosage conditions and theorized mechanisms (skills, attitudes, knowledge).

RESULTS

There was a significant linear effect of BOLT+PTC over time on standardized assessment use (b = .02, p < .01), and a significant quadratic effect of BOLT+PTC over time on individualized assessment use (b = .04, p < .001), but no significant effect on treatment modification. BOLT + any level of PTC resulted in higher MBC knowledge and larger growth in MBC skill over the intervention period as compared to control. PTC dosage levels were inconsistently predictive of outcomes, providing no clear evidence for added benefit of higher PTC dosage.

CONCLUSIONS

Online training and consultation in MBC had effects on standardized and individualized assessment use among clinicians as compared to services as usual with no consistent benefit detected for increased consultation dosage. Continued research investigating optimal dosages and mechanisms of these established implementation strategies is needed to ensure training and consultation resources are deployed efficiently to impact clinician practices.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05041517 . Retrospectively registered on 10 September 2021.

Implementation strategies to promote measurement-based care in schools: evidence from mental health experts across the USA

BACKGROUND

Despite an established taxonomy of implementation strategies, minimal guidance exists for how to select and tailor strategies to specific practices and contexts. We employed a replicable method to obtain stakeholder perceptions of the most feasible and important implementation strategies to increase mental health providers' use of measurement-based care (MBC) in schools. MBC is the routine use of patient-reported progress measures throughout treatment to inform patient-centered, data-driven treatment adjustments.

METHODS

A national sample of 52 school mental health providers and researchers completed two rounds of modified Delphi surveys to rate the relevance, importance, and feasibility of 33 implementation strategies identified for school settings. Strategies were reduced and definitions refined using a multimethod approach. Final importance and feasibility ratings were plotted on "go-zone" graphs and compared across providers and researchers to identify top-rated strategies.

RESULTS

The initial 33 strategies were rated as "relevant" or "relevant with changes" to MBC in schools. Importance and feasibility ratings were high overall for both survey rounds; on a scale of 1 to 5, importance ratings (3.61-4.48) were higher than feasibility ratings (2.55-4.06) on average. Survey 1 responses resulted in a reduced, refined set of 21 strategies, and six were rated most important and feasible on Survey 2: (1) assess for readiness and identify barriers and facilitators; (2) identify and prepare champions; (3) develop a usable implementation plan; (4) offer a provider-informed menu of free, brief measures; (5) develop and provide access to training materials; and (6) make implementation easier by removing burdensome documentation tasks. Provider and researcher ratings were not significantly different, with a few exceptions: providers reported higher feasibility and importance of removing burdensome paperwork than researchers, providers reported higher feasibility of train-the trainer approaches than researchers, and researchers reported higher importance of monitoring fidelity than providers.

CONCLUSIONS

The education sector is the most common setting for child and adolescent mental health service delivery in the USA. Effective MBC implementation in schools has the potential to elevate the quality of care received by many children, adolescents, and their families. This empirically derived, targeted list of six implementation strategies offers potential efficiencies for future testing of MBC implementation in schools.

Standardising Training of Nurses in an Evidence-Based Psychosocial Intervention for Perinatal Depression: Randomized Trial of Electronic vs. Face-to-Face Training in China

Background: Rates of perinatal depression in China are high. The Thinking Healthy Programme is a WHO-endorsed, evidence-based psychosocial intervention for perinatal depression, requiring five days of face-to-face training by a specialist trainer. Given the paucity of specialist trainers and logistical challenges, standardized training of large numbers of nurses is a major challenge for scaling up. We developed an electronic training programme (e-training) which eliminates the need for specialist-led, face-to-face training. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-training compared to conventional face-to-face training in nursing students. Methods: A single blind, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial was conducted. One hundred nursing students from two nursing schools were randomly assigned to either e-training or conventional face-to-face training. Results: E-training was not inferior to specialist-led face-to-face training immediately post-training [mean ENhancing Assessment of Common Therapeutic factors (ENACT) score (M) 45.73, standard deviation (SD) 4.03 vs. M 47.08, SD 4.53; mean difference (MD) −1.35, 95% CI; (−3.17, 0.46), p = 0.14]. There was no difference in ENACT scores at three months [M = 42.16, SD 4.85 vs. M = 42.65, SD 4.65; MD = −0.481, 95% CI; (−2.35, 1.39), p = 0.61]. Conclusions: E-training is a promising tool with comparative effectiveness to specialist-led face-to-face training. E-training can be used for training of non-specialists for evidence-based psychosocial interventions at scale and utilized where there is a shortage of specialist trainers, but practice under supervision is necessary to maintain competence. However, continued practice under supervision may be necessary to maintain competence.

Applying implementation science in mental health services: Technical assistance cases from the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) network

OBJECTIVE

Critical gaps exist between implementation of effective interventions and the actual services delivered to people living with mental disorders. Many technical assistance (TA) efforts rely on one-time trainings of clinical staff and printed guidelines that alone are not effective in changing clinical practice. The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network uses implementation science to accelerate the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), improve performance, and bring about systems-level change.

METHOD

Four case examples illustrate how MHTTCs employ the Exploration-Preparation-Implementation-Sustainment (EPIS) implementation framework and intensive implementation strategies to educate clinicians, manage change, and improve processes. These examples include implementing motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy for people with psychosis, strategies to decrease the no show rate for virtual appointments, and school mental health systems development.

RESULTS

From Preparation through Sustainment, MHTTCs successfully employed implementation strategies including learning communities, audit and feedback, and coaching to bring about change. Each project attended to inner and outer contexts to eliminate barriers. The examples also show the benefit of integrating process improvement alongside implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

The MHTTCs are a model for using implementation science to design technical assistance that leads to more successful practical execution of EBPs; thus reducing the gap between research and practice.

Investigation of Therapist Effects on Patient Engagement in Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Veterans Health Administration

The present study examined whether certain Veterans Health Administration (VHA) therapists have more success than others in keeping patients engaged in evidence-based psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our objective was to use multilevel modeling to quantify the variability between therapists in two indicators of patient engagement: early dropout (i.e., < 3 sessions) and adequate dose (i.e., ≥ 8 sessions). The phenomenon of systematic variability between therapists in patients' treatment experience and outcomes is referred to as "therapist effects." The sample included the 2,709 therapists who provided individual cognitive processing therapy (CPT) or prolonged exposure (PE) to 18,461 veterans with PTSD across 140 facilities in 2017. Data were extracted from administrative databases. For CPT, therapist effects accounted for 10.9% of the variance in early dropout and 8.9% of the variance in adequate dose. For PE, therapist effects accounted for 6.0% and 8.8% of the variance in early dropout and adequate dose, respectively. Facility only accounted for an additional 1.1%-3.1% of the variance in early dropout and adequate dose. For CPT, patients' odds of receiving an adequate dose almost doubled, OR = 1.41/0.72 = 1.96, if they were seen by a therapist in the highest compared with the lowest retention decile. For PE, the odds of a patient receiving an adequate dose were 84% higher, OR = 1.38/0.75 = 1.84, when treated by a therapist in the highest compared with the lowest retention decile. Therapist skills and work environment may contribute to variability across therapists in early dropout and adequate dose.

Validation and Use of the Measure of Effective Attributes of Trainers in School-Based Implementation of Proactive Classroom Management Strategies

In-service training is a critical and frequently utilized implementation strategy to support the adoption and delivery of evidence-based practice (EBP) across service settings, but is characteristically ineffective in producing provider behavior changes, particularly when delivered in single exposure didactic events. EBP trainers are in a strategic position to leverage their trainee-perceived characteristics to influence trainees' attitudes, motivation, and intentions to implement, and ultimately increase the likelihood of successful uptake of skills. The purpose of this study was to extend research on the measure of effective attributes of trainers (MEAT) by examining its underlying factor structure and reliability in the context of in-service EBP training for teachers (i.e., structural validity). This study also examined the predictive validity of the MEAT by examining relationships with a measure of teacher intentions to implement EBPs following a standardized training experience (i.e., predictive validity). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to determine the latent factors (i.e., subscales of characteristics) that underlie the data. Additionally, a forward selection, stepwise regression was conducted to determine the extent to which trainer attributes could explain variance in intentions to implement. Results indicated that the MEAT was a valid and reliable measure to examine trainer attributes in school settings. Moreover, findings suggested that trainer attributes, particularly those related to trainee perceptions of the trainers' welcoming disposition (i.e., related to trainers' warm, positive temperament and internal character traits), were significantly associated with trainees' intentions to implement the trained upon EBP.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of an Implementation Facilitation Training Program

Background: Implementation scientists are identifying evidence-based implementation strategies that support the uptake of evidence-based practices and other clinical innovations. However, there is limited information regarding the development of training methods to educate implementation practitioners on the use of implementation strategies and help them sustain these competencies. Methods: To address this need, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a training program for one strategy, implementation facilitation (IF), that was designed to maximize applicability in diverse clinical settings. Trainees included implementation practitioners, clinical managers, and researchers. From May 2017 to July 2019, we sent trainees an electronic survey via email and asked them to complete the survey at three-time points: approximately 2 weeks before and 2 weeks and 6 months after each training. Participants ranked their knowledge of and confidence in applying IF skills using a 4-point Likert scale. We compared scores at baseline to post-training and at 6 months, as well as post-training to 6 months post-training (nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank tests). Results: Of the 102 participants (76 in-person, 26 virtual), there was an increase in perceived knowledge and confidence in applying IF skills across all learning objectives from pre- to post-training (95% response rate) and pre- to 6-month (35% response rate) follow-up. There was no significant difference in results between virtual and in-person trainees. When comparing post-training to 6 months (30% response rate), perceptions of knowledge increase remained unchanged, although participants reported reduced perceived confidence in applying IF skills for half of the learning objectives at 6 months. Conclusions: Findings indicated that we have developed a promising IF training program. Lack of differences in results between virtual and in-person participants indicated the training can be provided to a remote site without loss of knowledge/skills transfer but ongoing support may be needed to help sustain perceived confidence in applying these skills.

Plain Language Summary

While implementation scientists are documenting an increasing number of implementation strategies that support the uptake of evidence-based practices and other clinical innovations, little is known about how to transfer this knowledge to those who conduct implementation efforts in the frontline clinical practice settings. We developed, implemented, and conducted a preliminary evaluation of a training program for one strategy, implementation facilitation (IF). The training program targets facilitation practitioners, clinical managers, and researchers. This paper describes the development of the training program, the program components, and the results from an evaluation of IF knowledge and skills reported by a subset of people who participated in the training. Findings from the evaluation indicate that this training program significantly increased trainees' perceived knowledge of and confidence in applying IF skills. Further research is needed to examine whether ongoing mentoring helps trainees retain confidence in applying some IF skills over the longer term.

Clinician adoption of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: A systematic review of implementation interventions

Background

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a parent training intervention for childhood conduct problems, distinctive in its use of live clinician coaching of the parent-child dyad via a one-way mirror and discrete earpiece. However, despite a compelling evidence base, uptake of evidence-based parent training programmes such as PCIT by clinicians in routine care settings remains poor. This systematic review aimed to identify and synthesise implementation interventions that have sought to increase clinician adoption of PCIT in usual care settings.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsycInfo (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index, and Web of Science Core Collection from inception to October 2020. Articles were included if they tested (by way of randomised controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, interrupted time series and controlled before and after trials) implementation interventions across any and all of the patient, clinician, clinic, system or policy domains. Two independent reviewers screened and selected studies, assessed risk of bias and extracted data - summarising implementation intervention components according to items from the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist ( Hoffmann et al., 2014).

Results

Of the 769 articles identified once duplicates were removed, 13 papers relating to three studies met the inclusion criteria - all were quantitative or mixed-methods examinations of the effectiveness of different PCIT clinician training or training-related consultation methods. A narrative description of interventions was provided, as quantitative synthesis was not possible.

Conclusions

Research attention has to date been focussed on the establishment of an evidence-base for PCIT's effectiveness, with relatively little attention to the dissemination, implementation and sustainment of this treatment. Those studies that do exist have focused on training methods and training-related expert consultation. Research attention could usefully turn to both adoption and sustainment of this effective treatment in usual care settings.

Plain language summary

In this review, we aimed to summarise what is already known about how to implement PCIT in community settings after clinicians have received training in the approach. While research relating to the implementation of other parent training programmes is interesting and informative, implementation efforts are most effective when tailored to a specific programme in a specific context. As such, it was important to review published studies relating to PCIT specifically. We identified three relevant studies, one of which is yet to publish its main implementation findings. The three studies have focused on how best to train clinicians in PCIT, including how best to provide post-training support from expert trainers. We concluded that a fruitful line for future research would be to focus on the post-training period, particularly how best to support clinicians to adopt and sustain PCIT in their practice.

Systematic review registration

The study was prospectively registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on 01/10/2020 (CRD42020207118).

Pragmatic Precision Psychiatry-A New Direction for Optimizing Treatment Selection

IMPORTANCE

Clinical trials have identified numerous prescriptive predictors of mental disorder treatment response, ie, predictors of which treatments are best for which patients. However, none of these prescriptive predictors is strong enough alone to guide precision treatment planning. This has prompted growing interest in developing precision treatment rules (PTRs) that combine information across multiple prescriptive predictors, but this work has been much less successful in psychiatry than some other areas of medicine. Study designs and analysis schemes used in research on PTR development in other areas of medicine are reviewed, key challenges for implementing similar studies of mental disorders are highlighted, and recent methodological advances to address these challenges are described here.

OBSERVATIONS

Discovering prescriptive predictors requires large samples. Three approaches have been used in other areas of medicine to do this: conduct very large randomized clinical trials, pool individual-level results across multiple smaller randomized clinical trials, and develop preliminary PTRs in large observational treatment samples that are then tested in smaller randomized clinical trials. The third approach is most feasible for research on mental disorders. This approach requires working with large real-world observational electronic health record databases; carefully selecting samples to emulate trials; extracting information about prescriptive predictors from electronic health records along with other inexpensive data augmentation strategies; estimating preliminary PTRs in the observational data using appropriate methods; implementing pragmatic trials to validate the preliminary PTRs; and iterating between subsequent observational studies and quality improvement pragmatic trials to refine and expand the PTRs. New statistical methods exist to address the methodological challenges of implementing this approach.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Advances in pragmatic precision psychiatry will require moving beyond the current focus on randomized clinical trials and adopting an iterative discovery-confirmation process that integrates observational and experimental studies in real-world clinical populations.

L’utilisation des technologies pour optimiser la formation des intervenants en santé mentale aux traitements fondés sur les données probantes : où en sommes-nous ?

La formation massive d’intervenants en santé mentale figure parmi les moyens proposés pour améliorer l’accès aux traitements fondés sur les données probantes pour divers troubles mentaux courants. Si les technologies de communication et de diffusion des connaissances (visioconférence, plateformes Web) peuvent aider à rendre la formation plus accessible dans le temps et dans l’espace, il est nécessaire de bien évaluer leur apport au développement des compétences chez les intervenants.

Objectifs Établir comment les technologies sont utilisées pour optimiser la formation des intervenants et quels sont les effets des formations en ligne sur l’acquisition des connaissances et habiletés cliniques.

Méthode Une revue rapide de la littérature a été réalisée. Pour être incluses, les études devaient concerner une formation en ligne destinée aux intervenants en pratique clinique active, porter sur le traitement d’un trouble mental courant ou d’une toxicomanie et comporter une mesure objective des connaissances ou des habiletés cliniques. Les études ont été analysées et comparées en fonction des méthodes et activités d’apprentissage intégrant les technologies numériques.

Résultats Vingt études ont été recensées. Les méthodes d’apprentissage passives, impliquant peu ou pas d’interactivité, prédominent dans les formations en ligne en mode asynchrone (FLA), alors que les activités permettant un niveau élevé d’interaction avec le formateur, comme les jeux de rôle ou la supervision, se retrouvent dans les formations en mode synchrone. Acquisition des connaissances : les FLA semblent efficaces pour améliorer les connaissances des intervenants sur une période d’au moins 6 mois. La formation en salle ou l’ajout d’une activité de supervision ne produisent pas de résultats d’apprentissage supérieurs à la FLA. Acquisition des habiletés : aucune conclusion ne peut être tirée quant aux effets des formations en ligne, asynchrones, synchrones ou mixtes, car les résultats sont partagés, voire contradictoires.

Conclusion En considérant la faible qualité méthodologique des études analysées qui limite la nature et la portée des conclusions de la présente recension, les résultats des études permettent d’avancer que les FLA qui comportent des technologies interactives de base, telles que des quiz en ligne, peuvent constituer un moyen simple et efficace pour améliorer les connaissances des intervenants en santé mentale.

Building community-based helping practices by training peer-father counselors: A novel intervention to reduce drinking and depressive symptoms among fathers through an expanded masculinity lens

BACKGROUND

Problem drinking and co-occurring depression symptoms affect men at high rates and are associated with increased risk of family violence. In low- and middle-income countries, there is a large treatment gap for services due to a lack of human resources. Moreover, masculine norms are a barrier to men seeking treatment for drinking and depression in healthcare settings. We examined an approach for engaging peer-fathers to deliver an intervention to reduce alcohol use, improve depressive symptoms, and increase family involvement among fathers in Kenya with problem drinking. The intervention-LEAD (Learn, Engage, Act, Dedicate)-combines motivational interviewing, behavioral activation, and masculinity discussion strategies.

METHODS

Community and religious leaders nominated fathers with no mental health training to serve as counselors (N=12); clients were recruited through community referrals. Nominated fathers completed a 10-day training beginning with treatment principles followed by manualized content. Three counselors were selected after training based on quantitative and qualitative assessments of communication skills, intervention knowledge, willingness to learn, ability to use feedback, and empathy. Supervision was tiered with local supervisors and clinical psychologist consultation. During LEAD delivery, counselor fidelity, delivery quality, and general and intervention-specific competencies were assessed. To evaluate acceptability, qualitative interviews were conducted with lay-counselors and clients (N=11). Descriptive statistics were calculated for quantitative outcomes; interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Peer-father lay counselors treated nine clients, with eight completing treatment. Counselors reached high rates of fidelity (93.8%) and high to optimal ratings on quality of delivery, clinical competency, and intervention-specific competencies. Qualitative results suggested high acceptability, with counselors expressing satisfaction and empowerment in their roles. Clients likewise described positive experiences with counselors.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide initial support for the acceptability and feasibility of recruitment, selection, and training processes for peer-father lay counselors to deliver LEAD through a lens of masculinity that aligned with clients help-acceptance practices.

Online Training of Community Therapists in Observational Coding of Family Therapy Techniques: Reliability and Accuracy

A foundational strategy to promote implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) is providing EBI training to therapists. This study tested an online training system in which therapists practiced observational coding of mock video vignettes demonstrating family therapy techniques for adolescent behavior problems. The study compared therapists ratings to gold-standard scores to measure therapist reliability (consistency across vignettes) and accuracy (approximation to gold scores); tested whether reliability and accuracy improved during training; and tested therapist-level predictors of overall accuracy and change in accuracy over time. Participants were 48 therapists working in nine community behavioral health clinics. The 32-exercise training course provided online instruction (about 15 min/week) in 13 core family therapy techniques representing three modules: Family Engagement, Relational Orientation, Interactional Change. Therapist reliability in rating technique presence (i.e., technique recognition) remained moderate across training; reliability in rating extensiveness of technique delivery (i.e., technique judgment) improved sharply over time, from poor to good. Whereas therapists on average overestimated extensiveness for almost every technique, their tendency to give low-accuracy scores decreased. Therapist accuracy improved significantly over time only for Interactional Change techniques. Baseline digital literacy and submission of self-report checklists on use of the techniques in their own sessions predicted coding accuracy. Training therapists to be more reliable and accurate coders of EBI techniques can potentially yield benefits in increased EBI self-report acumen and EBI use in daily practice. However, training effects may need to improve from those reported here to avail meaningful impact on EBI implementation.Trial Registration: The parent clinical trial is registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov , ID: NCT03342872 (registration date: 11.10.17).

An equivalence analysis of provider education in youth mental health care

OBJECTIVE

To test for equivalence between providers with and without advanced degrees in multiple domains related to delivery of evidence-based treatment.

DATA SOURCE

Provider and client data from an effectiveness trial of Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) in a major metropolitan area in the United States.

STUDY DESIGN

We tested for equivalence between providers (N = 182) with and without advanced degrees in treatment-related knowledge, practices, and attitudes; job demands and stress; and training engagement and trainer-rated competence in AF-CBT. We also conducted exploratory analyses to test for equivalence in family clinical outcomes.

DATA COLLECTION

Providers completed measures prior to randomization and at 6-month follow-up, after completion of training and consultation in AF-CBT. Children and caregivers completed assessments at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Providers without advanced degrees were largely non-inferior to those with advanced degrees in treatment-related knowledge, practices, and attitudes, while findings for job demands and stress were mixed. Providers without advanced degrees were non-inferior to providers with advanced degrees in consultation attendance (B = -1.42; confidence interval (CI) = -3.01-0.16; margin of equivalence (Δ) = 2), number of case presentations (B = 0.64; CI = -0.49-1.76; Δ = 2), total training hours (B = -4.57; CI = -10.52-1.37; Δ = 3), and trainer-rated competence in AF-CBT (B = -0.04; CI = -3.04-2.96; Δ = 4), and they were significantly more likely to complete training (odds ratio = 0.66; CI = 0.10-0.96; Δ = 30%). Results for clinical outcomes were largely inconclusive.

CONCLUSIONS

Provider-level outcomes for those with and without advanced degrees were generally comparable. Additional research is needed to examine equivalence in clinical outcomes. Expanding evidence-based treatment training to individuals without advanced degrees may help to reduce workforce shortages and improve reach of evidence-based treatments.

Observational and Accelerometer Analysis of Head Movement Patterns in Psychotherapeutic Dialogue

Psychotherapists, who use their communicative skills to assist people, review their dialogue practices and improve their skills from their experiences. However, technology has not been fully exploited for this purpose. In this study, we analyze the use of head movements during actual psychotherapeutic dialogues between two participants-therapist and client-using video recordings and head-mounted accelerometers. Accelerometers have been utilized in the mental health domain but not for analyzing mental health related communications. We examined the relationship between the state of the interaction and temporally varying head nod and movement patterns in psychological counseling sessions. Head nods were manually annotated and the head movements were measured using accelerometers. Head nod counts were analyzed based on annotations taken from video data. We conducted cross-correlation analysis of the head movements of the two participants using the accelerometer data. The results of two case studies suggest that upward and downward head nod count patterns may reflect stage transitions in counseling dialogues and that peaks of head movement synchrony may be related to emphasis in the interaction.

Effects of Workshop Training in the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure Protocol on Clinician Beliefs, Adoption, and Perceived Clinical Outcomes

Although extensive efforts have been made to train clinicians in evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), relatively few PTSD patients are considered appropriate for and therefore receive these treatments. The dialectical behavior therapy prolonged exposure (DBT PE) protocol was developed to expand the reach of EBPs for PTSD to suicidal patients with severe comorbidities, but methods of training clinicians to deliver this treatment have not been evaluated. We examined the impact of DBT PE workshops on clinician beliefs, adoption, and perceived patient outcomes. Clinicians (N = 266) attended 2- or 4-day workshops and completed surveys at pretraining, posttraining, and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. From pretraining to 6-month follow-up, there were significant improvements in clinician concerns regarding worsening, perceived treatment credibility, and self-efficacy that did not differ by workshop length, R² s = .20-.45. At 6-months posttraining, 53.5% of clinicians (38.8% 2-day, 66.3% 4-day) reported using DBT PE with 241 patients. Higher posttraining ratings of self-efficacy and perceived treatment credibility predicted later DBT PE use, R² = .28. Among adopting clinicians, 81.3% reported that, on average, their patients' PTSD improved and 66.7% reported that patients were much to very much improved on average. Most clinicians reported that their patients' comorbid problems did not worsen during DBT PE and if worsening occurred, it typically involved temporary increases in distress. Workshops may be an effective method of changing clinician beliefs and promoting the use of DBT PE in a manner that clinicians experience as effective and safe for their patients.