healthcare – Scott D.Miller

Using Feedback Informed Treatment to Improve Medication Adherence and Reduce Healthcare Costs

Medication adherence is a BIG problem. According to recent research, nearly one-third of the prescriptions written are never filled. Other data document that more than 60% of people who actually go the pharmacy and get the drug, do not take it as prescribed. What’s the problem, you may ask? Inefficiency aside, the health risks are — read more
Good News and Bad News about Psychotherapy

Have you seen this month’s issue of, “The National Psychologist?” If you do counseling or psychotherapy, you should read it. The headline screams, “Therapy: No Improvement for 40 Years.” And while I did not know the article would be published, I was not surprised by the title nor it’s contents. The author and associate editor, — read more
What is the Real Source of Effectiveness in Smoking Cessation Treatment? New Research on Feedback Informed Treatment

When it rains, it pours! Growing interest in FIT is leading to the publication of research articles on its application in different contexts — an article on using the ORS and SRS in smoking cessation treatment, another a long-awaited article on the validity and reliability of the Group Session Rating Scale, and finally, a piece — read more
The War on Unhappiness Heats Up

Back in September, I blogged about an article by Gary Greenberg published in the August issue of Harper’s magazine that took aim at the "helping profession." He cast a critical eye on the history of the field, it’s colorful characters, constantly shifting theoretical landscape, and claims and counterclaims regarding "best practice." Several paragraphs were devoted to my own work; specifically, research documenting the relatively inconsequential role that particular treatment approaches play… — read more
No Therapist Left Behind: Improving the Quality and Outcome of Behavioral Health Services One Practitioner at a Time

Staying “up-to-date” isn’t easy in today’s practice environment. In these lean economic times, training budgets are often the first to be cut. On the other hand, trying to separate the “important” from “irrelevant” in our information-rich age can be, as Mitchell Kapor once observed, “a bit like trying to get a drink from a fire hydrant.” … — read more
Goodbye Freud, Hello Common Factors

Gary Greenberg certainly has a way with words. In his most recent article, The War on Unhappiness, published in the August issue of Harper’s magazine, Greenberg focuses on the "helping profession"–its colorful characters, constantly shifting theoretical landscape, and claims and counterclaims regarding "best practice." He also gives prominence to the most robust and replicated finding in psychotherapy outcome research: the "dodo bird verdict." Simply… — read more
Implementing Consumer-Driven, Outcome-Informed (CDOI) Behavioral Health Services: The ICCE and 2010 Training of Trainers Event

This week I’m in Calgary, Canada. Last week, I was in Charleston, South Carolina. Next week, I’ll be in Marion, Ohio and Bay city, Michigan. In each instance, I’m working with the management and staff of public behavioral health agencies that are busy implementing consumer-driven, outcome-informed clinical work. Some of the groups are just beginning… — read more
Is Professional Training a Waste of Time?

Every year, thousands of students graduate from professional programs with degrees enabling them to work in the field of behavioral health. Many more who have already graduated and are working as a social worker, psychologist, counselor, or marriage and family therapist attend—often by legal mandate—continuing education events. The costs of such training in terms of time and… — read more
Addressing the Financial Crisis in Public Behavioral Healthcare Head On in Chesterfield, Virginia

If you are following me on Twitter (and I hope you are), you know the last month has been extremely busy. This week I worked with clinicians in Peterborough, Ontario Canada. Last week, I was in Nashville, Tennessee and Richmond Virginia. Prior to that, I spent nearly two weeks in Europe, providing training and consultations in the… — read more
Holidays and Suicide: Tis’ the Season NOT!

The notion that suicides increase during the holiday season is as traditional as "Santa Claus"–and, according to statistics dating back at least a decade, just as illusory. In fact, research actually shows suicide rates to be the lowest in December! According to Dan Romer, a researcher at the Annenberb Public Policy Center at the University… — read more
International "Achieving Clinical Excellence" Conference

Mark your calendars! The International Center for Clinical Excellence is pleased to announce the “Achieving Clinical Excellence” (ACE) conference to be held at the Westin Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri on October 20-22nd, 2010. K. Anders Erickson, Ph.D., the editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance and recognized “expert on experts,” will keynote… — read more