-
What can therapists learn from the CIA? Experts versus the "Wisdom of the Crowd"
What can we therapists learn from the CIA? In a phrase, “When it comes to making predictions about important future events, don’t rely on experts!” After a spate of embarrassing, high-profile intelligence failures, a recent story showed how a relatively small group of average people made better predictions about critical world events than highly-trained analysts with access to classified information. — read more
-
Do you know who said, "Sometimes the magic works, sometimes it doesn’t"?
Well, do you? It was Chief Dan George playing the role of Old Lodge Skins in the 1970 movie, “Little Big Man.” Whether or not you’ve seen or remember the film, if you’re a practicing therapist, you know the wisdom contained in that quote. No matter how skilled the clinician or devoted the client, “sometimes therapy works, sometimes it — read more
-
How not to be among the 70-95% of practitioners and agencies that fail
Our field is full of good ideas, strategies that work. Each year, practitioners and agencies devote considerable time and resources to staying current with new developments. What does the research say about such efforts? When it comes to the implementation of new, evidence-based practices, traditional training strategies routinely produce only 5% to 30% success rates. Said another way, 70-95% of training fails — read more
-
Curing Clinician Overconfidence: Try Darting and Frowning
Overconfidence. It’s a problem that leads to systematic errors in judgement. Long thought to arise out of hubris or the corrupting effects of the emotion, the evidence actually shows it to be built into humans’ evolved cognitive machinery. Existimo ergo certus sum (I think, therefore I am…certain). Behavioral health professionals are not immune. The first — 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
-
Barriers to seeking mental health care
With all the challenges facing the profession, it is important to highlight people and organizations that are working hard to make a difference. On that note, tomorrow, Tuesday the 25th of September 2012 is the very first National Psychotherapy Day. Having a day of unified, active promotion of psychotherapy is the brain child… — read more
-
Looking for Results in All the Wrong Places: What Makes Feedback Work?
As anyone knows who reads this blog or has been to one of my workshops, I am a fan of feedback. Back in the mid-1990’s, I began using Lynn Johnson’s 10-item Session Rating Scale in my clinical work. His book, Psychotherapy in the Age of Accountability, and our long relationship, convinced me that I… — read more
-
REACHing the Next Level of Clinical Performance: What it Really Takes
Do any of these people look familiar? Well, of course, I’m the guy in the middle pointing. To my left is the rock and roll guitarist Joe Walsh. On my right is world-renowned, card mechanic Richard Turner. Why have I pictured myself sandwiched between these two? Because they are both inspiring examples of what can… — read more
-
Obesity Redux: The RFL Results and complex Nature of Truth and Science
Back in April, I blogged about research published by Ryan Sorrell on the use of feedback-informed treatment in a telephonically-divered weight management program. The study, which appeared in the journal Disease Management*, not only found that the program and feedback led to weight loss, but also significant improvements in distress, health eating behaviors (70%), exercise (65%), and presenteeism on… — read more
-
Feedback Informed Treatment: Update
Chicago, IL (USA) The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here in Chicago. First, the "Advanced Intensive." Next came the annual "Training of Trainers." Each week, the room was filled to capacity with practitioners, researchers, supervisors, and agency directors from around the globe receiving in-depth training in feedback-informed practice. It was a… — read more
-
A Lotta Help from One’s Friends: The Role of Community in the Pursuit of Excellence
Dateline: Chicago, IL USA Hard not to be impressed with the USA Women’s Gymnastic team. What skill, percision, expertise, and excellence. By now, I’m sure you’ve seen the interviews. In all instances, each and every one has focused on the team. Despite some in the media attempting to make stars out of the individual members,… — read more
-
The International Center for Clinical Excellence: Using Social Networks for "Real Time" Research
The International Center for Clinical Excellence was officially lauched at the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference in December 2009. Since that time, membership has grown steadily. With over 3800 members, the ICCE is the largest, web-based community of behavioral health professionals dedicated to improving the quality and outcome of service delivery. The site features nearly… — read more
-
Feedback Informed Treatment as Evidence-Based Practice
Back in November, I blogged about the ICCE application to SAMSHA’s National Registry for consideration of FIT as an official evidence-based approach (EBP). Given the definition of EBP by the Institute of Medicine and the American Psychological Association, Feedback Informed Treatment seems a perfect, well, FIT. According to the IOM and APA, evidence-based practice means… — read more
-
Is the "Summer of Love" Over? Positive Publication Bias Plagues Pharmaceutical Research
Evidence-based practice is only as good as the available "evidence"–and on this subject, research points to a continuing problem with both the methodology and type of studies that make it into the professional literature. Last week, PloS Medicine, a peer-reviewed, open access journal of the Public Library of Science, published a study showing a positive… — read more
-
A Progress Report on the Science (and Art ) of Psychotherapy: The Psychotherapy Networker 30th Anniversary Edition
The 30th Anniversary Edition of the Psychotherapy Networker has hit newsstands. In it, is an article by Diane Cole taking the measure of psychotherapy. Her question? Has the field gotten any better over the last three decades? The entire issue is a "must read," starting with editor Rich Simon’s lengthy and thought provoking editorial, "Still… — read more
-
Goodbye Mr. & Ms. Know-it-All: Redefining Competence in the Era of Increasing Complexity
Every day behavioral health professionals make hundreds of decisions. As experts in the field, they meet and work successfully with diverse clients presenting an array of different difficulties. Available evidence indicates that the average person who receives care is better off than 80% of those with similar problems that do not. Outcomes in mental… — read more
-
The New Average: Meeting the Need to Exceed
No matter where you look,good is no longer "good enough." In a recent article in the New York Times, author and trend watcher, Thomas L. Friedman, declared, "Average is Over." It’s an argument similar to the one made over a decade ago by Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, in his phenomenally… — read more
-
Feedback-Informed Treatment as Evidence-based Practice: APA, SAMSHA, and NREPP
What is evidence-based practice? Visit the UK-based NICE website, or talk to proponents of particular theoretical schools or therapeutic models, and they will tell you that being "evidence-based" means using the approach research has deemed effective for a particular diagnosis (e.g., CBT for depression, EMDR for trauma). Over the last two decades, numerous organizations and… — read more
-
Psychologist Alan Kazdin Needs Help: Please Give
Look at this picture. This man needs help. He is psychologist, Alan Kazdin, former president of the American Psychological Association, and current Professor of Psychology at Yale University. A little over a week ago, to the surprise and shock of many in the field, he disclosed a problem in his professional life. In an interview… — read more
-
Achieving Clinical Excellence Conference 2013: CALL FOR PAPERS
Horsholm, Denmark Spent the weekend with the planning committe for the 2013 Achieving Clinical Excellence Conference. Committee members came in from all over the world–the USA, Romania, Holland, the UK, and Denmark–to finalize speakers, the conference venue, and mock up the logo for the conference brochure and advertizing. Like last time, we are not only bringing in the… — read more
-
The ICCE Feedback-Informed Treatment Manuals
September 12, 2011 Copenhagen, Denmark Fall is in the air. For me, that means the start of the travel season. For the next two weeks, I’ll be traveling throughout Scandanavia–this week in Denmark and Norway. It’s great to be back on the road meeting clinicians and consulting with agencies about feedback-informed treatment (FIT). On… — read more
-
Is Psychotherapy Dead?
"AMERICANS PREFER DRUGS" screams the headline posted by the Reuters news service and attributed to Consumer Reports–one of the most respected periodical for the average American reader. "NEARLY 80 PERCENT TAKE A PILL FOR DEPRESSION," the article continues. Read a little further and do some searching around on the internet and a different story emerges. Americans it turns… — read more
-
Becoming FIT: The 2011 Training of Trainers
August 10th, 2011 Chicago, IL The first week of August was one of the hottest weeks on record in Chicago. It was also the location of the hottest training on "feedback-informed treatment" (FIT)–the 5th Annual "Training of Trainers" weeklong intensive training. We worked intensively over 5 days preparing an international group of administrators, supervisors, researchers, and… — read more