Training in Evidence-Based Psychological Practice at the Master's Level

Consultation and professional development within the prolonged exposure initiative

Previous studies have identified that ongoing consultation and organizational support are key factors in sustaining evidence-based implementation initiatives in community mental health. Clinician-level factors likely influence implementation but are not well delineated. This study assessed clinician-reported professional development incentives for participating in consultation in prolonged exposure (PE) therapy to guide future evidence-based practice (EBP) initiatives. Providers in the PE initiative (N = 22) completed a survey asking about their motivations to participate, the impact of consultation on the implementation of PE and their professional development goals, and the impact of organizational-level support on their goals and on organizational-level clinician turnover. Of the respondents,   10 had decided to pursue additional training to become PE consultants at their agencies. Providers (response rate = 22/35) reported joining the PE Initiative to learn an evidence-based practice in general (not PE specifically) and increase their skill in treating posttraumatic stress disorder. Providers largely found ongoing consultation helpful and reported that consultation provided the feedback and support necessary to achieve their professional goals. Providers who decided to pursue PE consultant training reported that expanding upon supervision and clinical skills were strong motivators. Providers largely attributed clinician turnover within the PE Initiative to organizational-level factors. Ongoing consultation facilitated providers' professional development goals. The survey identified several areas for further exploration, including how consultation can reduce clinician turnover, and how taking on additional responsibility within implementation initiatives can facilitate provider engagement in the EBP.

Teaching GenerationPMTO, an evidence-based parent intervention, in a university setting using a blended learning strategy

BACKGROUND

Despite the large number of evidence-based practices (EBPs) ready for implementation, they are the exception in usual care, especially for ethnic minority patients, who may not have access to trained health professionals. Providing EBP training as part of a graduate curriculum could help build the pipeline of professionals to provide quality care.

METHODS

We conducted a before-after study to determine whether we could implement a blended learning strategy (BL; i.e., in vivo and online training) to teach an EBP in university settings. Feasibility in this pilot was operationalized as knowledge acquisition, satisfaction, fidelity, acceptability, and usability. Using GenerationPMTO as the EBP, our aim was to train graduate students enrolled in Psychology, Social Work, and Family Therapy programs in the EBP in one academic year. Two therapists from a community agency were also students in this pilot. A total of 13 students from five universities were trained in the intervention. Adaptations were made to the intervention and training strategy to optimize training fidelity. Focus groups were conducted with the students to capture their perspective about the training.

RESULTS

Students demonstrated significant knowledge acquisition from baseline (Mean = 61.79, SD = 11.18) to training completion (Mean = 85.27, SD = 5.08, mean difference = - 23.48, 95% CI = - 29.62, - 17.34). They also reported satisfaction with the BL format, as measured by teaching evaluations at the end of the course. Instructors received acceptable fidelity scores (range of 7-9 in a 9-point scale). Qualitative findings from focus groups showed support for acceptability and usability of BL training.

CONCLUSIONS

BL training in university settings can be conducted with fidelity when provided by appropriately trained instructors. BL that integrates EBP and adaptations may be uniquely applicable for training providers in low-resource and ethnically diverse settings. The BL enhanced knowledge of GenerationPMTO was acceptable and usable to students, and was delivered with high instructor fidelity to the training model.