-
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
-
Error-centric Practice: How Getting it Wrong can Help you Get it Right
It’s an idea that makes intuitive sense but is simultanesouly unappealing to most people. I, for one, don’t like it. What’s more, it flies in the face of the "self-esteem" orientation that has dominated much of educational theory and practice over the last several decades. And yet, research summarized in a recent issue of Scientific American… — read more
-
Deliberate Practice, Expertise, & Excellence
Later today, I board United flight 908 on my way to workshops scheduled in Holland and Belgium. My routine in the days leading up to an international trip is always the same. I slowly gather together the items I’ll need while away: computer (check); european electric adapter (check); presentation materials (check); clothes (check). And, oh yeah, two decks of playing cards… — read more
-
The Future of Behavioral Health: Integrated Care & Entrepreneurship
Nicholas Cummings, Ph.D. Sometime in late 1986 I wrote a letter to Dr. Nicholas Cummings. As a then student-member of the American Psychological Association (APA), I was automatically subscribed to and receiving the American Psychologist. In the April issue, Dr. Cummings published an article, provocatively titled, "The Dismantling of Our Health System: Strategies for the Survival of Psychological Practice." … — read more
-
Outcomes in the Artic: An Interview with Norwegian Practitioner Konrad Kummernes
Dateline: Mosjoen, Norway The last stop on my training tour around northern Norway was Mosjoen. The large group of psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, case managers, and physicians laughed uproariously when I talked about the bumpy, "white-knuckler" ride aboard the small twin-engine airplane that delivered me to the snowy, mountain-rimmed town. They were all to familiar with the… — read more
-
"What Works" in Norway
Dateline: Tromsø, Norway Place: Rica Ishavshotel For the last two days, I’ve had the privilege of working with 125+ clinicians (psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and addiction treatment professionals) in far northern Norway. The focus of the two-day training was on "What Works" in treatment, in particular examining what constitutes "evidence-based practice" and how to… — read more
-
Why ongoing, formal feedback is critical for improving outcomes in healthcare
Not long ago, I had a rather lengthy email exchange with a well-known, high profile psychotherapist in the United States. Feedback was the topic. We both agreed that feedback was central to successful psychotherapy. We differed, however, in terms of method. I argued for the use of simple, standardized measures of progress and alliance (e.g., ORS and SRS). In support… — read more