Variability in clinician intentions to implement specific cognitive-behavioral therapy components

Therapist Anxious Distress and Avoidance of Implementing Time-Out

Therapist anxious distress when delivering child mental health treatment has been understudied as a factor that contributes to the underuse of some evidence-based interventions (EBIs), such as time-out for children with disruptive behaviors. This study investigated therapist anxious avoidance of time-out using a three-part, vignette-based survey design. Therapists (n = 198) read a vignette of an in-session time-out and reported on their personal anxious distress and likelihood of discontinuing the implementation of time-out. Therapists also provided open-ended descriptions of challenges to delivering time-out. Therapists reported moderate anxious distress at time points 1 and 2 and lower anxious distress at time 3 when the time-out had resolved. Most therapists endorsed some avoidance of time-out. Binomial logistic regression analyses indicated that increased anxious distress corresponded with an increased probability of avoiding time-out delivery in the future. Qualitative reports expanded on challenges to implementing time-out. Findings suggest the importance of addressing therapist anxious distress when implementing children's mental health treatments.

Supervisory Alliance as a Moderator of the Effects of Behavioral Rehearsal on TF-CBT Fidelity: Results from a Randomized Trial of Supervision Strategies

Exposure is an important element of treatment for many evidence-based treatments but can be challenging to implement. Supervision strategies to support exposure delivery may be an important tool to facilitate the use of exposure techniques; however, they must be considered and used in the context of the supervisory alliance. The present study examined relations between supervisory alliance and fidelity to the trauma narrative (TN; i.e., imaginal exposure) component of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We also examined how supervisory alliance moderated the effect of behavioral rehearsal use in supervision on TN fidelity. We analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial, in which forty-two supervisors and their clinicians (N = 124) from 28 Washington State community-based mental health offices participated. Clinicians were randomized to receive one of two supervision conditions-symptom and fidelity monitoring (SFM) or SFM with behavioral rehearsal (SFM + BR). Supervisory alliance alone did not predict delivery (i.e., occurrence) or extensiveness of delivery of the trauma narrative. Client-focused supervisory alliance moderated the effectiveness of behavioral rehearsal-as client-focused alliance increased, the odds of delivering the TN also increased significantly. Future research should further investigate how to appropriately match supervision techniques with supervisory dyads and explore the interplay of alliance with supervision techniques a supervisor might employ.

A mixed-methods evaluation of organization and individual factors influencing provider intentions to use caregiver coaching in community-based early intervention

BACKGROUND

Most psycho-social interventions contain multiple components. Practitioners often vary in their implementation of different intervention components. Caregiver coaching is a multicomponent intervention for young autistic children that is highly effective but poorly implemented in community-based early intervention (EI). Previous research has shown that EI providers' intentions, and the determinants of their intentions, to implement caregiver coaching vary across components. Organizational culture and climate likely influence these psychological determinants of intention by affecting beliefs that underlie attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy to implement an intervention. Research in this area is limited, which limits the development of theoretically driven, multilevel implementation strategies to support multi-component interventions. This mixed methods study evaluated the relationships among organizational leadership, culture and climate, attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, and EI providers' intentions to implement the components of caregiver coaching.

METHODS

We surveyed 264 EI providers from 37 agencies regarding their intentions and determinants of intentions to use caregiver coaching. We also asked questions about the organizational culture, climate, and leadership in their agencies related to caregiver coaching. We used multilevel structural equation models to estimate associations among intentions, psychological determinants of intentions (attitudes, descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and self-efficacy), and organizational factors (implementation climate and leadership). We conducted qualitative interviews with 36 providers, stratified by strength of intentions to use coaching. We used mixed-methods analysis to gain an in-depth understanding of the organization and individual-level factors.

RESULTS

The associations among intentions, psychological determinants of intentions, and organizational factors varied across core components of caregiver coaching. Qualitative interviews elucidated how providers describe the importance of each component. For example, providers' attitudes toward coaching caregivers and their perceptions of caregivers' expectations for service were particularly salient themes related to their use of caregiver coaching.

CONCLUSION

Results highlight the importance of multi-level strategies that strategically target individual intervention components as well as organization-level and individual-level constructs. This approach holds promise for improving the implementation of complex, multicomponent, psychosocial interventions in community-based service systems.

Predicting Therapists' Intentions to Use Innovations: Comparing the Role of Individual, Organizational, and Innovation Characteristics

Theories emphasize the role of individual and organizational characteristics in implementation outcomes, yet research indicates that these characteristics account for only a small amount of variance in those outcomes. Innovation characteristics might be important proximal determinants of implementation outcomes but are infrequently examined in mental health services research. This study examined the relative variance explained by individual, organizational, and innovation characteristics on behavioral intentions, a central implementation outcome in implementation theories. Data were collected from 95 therapists and 28 supervisors who participated in a cluster randomized trial that tested the effectiveness of two clinical decision-making innovations. Multilevel models compared individual, organizational, and innovation characteristics as predictors of therapists' intentions to use the innovations. Subsequent mediational path analyses tested whether innovation characteristics mediated the effect of innovation type on intentions. Individual and organizational characteristics explained 29% of the variability in therapists' intentions. Approximately 75% of the variability in therapists' intentions was accounted for by innovation characteristics. Individual and organizational characteristics were not statistically significant predictors of intentions after controlling for innovation characteristics. The indirect effect of innovation type on intentions through therapists' beliefs was statistically significant (B = 0.410, 95% Bootstrapped CI = [0.071, 0.780]), but the direct effect of innovation type was not (B = 0.174, p = .365). Innovation characteristics are related to therapist intentions and might explain why some innovations are received more favorably than others. Future studies should explore the complex interrelationships between these beliefs alongside other individual or organizational characteristics.

Clinician Intentions to use the Components of Parent Coaching Within Community Early Intervention Systems

PURPOSE

Parent coaching is a complex, psychosocial intervention with multiple core components. Clinicians' use of these core components may be influenced by distinct factors; no research has examined whether clinician perceptions of parent coaching vary across core coaching components. This study aimed to examine the extent to which clinicians working with families of young autistic children in publicly funded early intervention intend to use core parent coaching components, and to examine how closely psychological factors relate to providers' intentions to use each component.

METHODS

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, this study compared the strength of clinicians' intentions across five core parent coaching components: collaboration with parents, delivering the intervention within daily routines, demonstrating the intervention, providing in-vivo feedback, and reflection and problem solving. We examined the associations between intentions and psychological determinants of intentions (i.e., attitudes, norms, and self-efficacy) for each component.

RESULTS

Clinicians' average intentions varied by core component, with strongest intentions for demonstrating the intervention strategy for a parent. The associations between intentions and psychological determinants also varied by core component. Attitudes, injunctive norms, and self-efficacy, but not descriptive norms, significantly related to clinicians' intentions to use collaboration and daily routines, whereas attitudes and descriptive norms, but not injunctive norms and self-efficacy, significantly related to clinicians' intentions to use feedback and reflection and problem solving.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that implementation strategies should be tailored to the specific intervention component to be most efficient and effective. The results also provide examples of potentially malleable factors that implementation strategies can strategically target.

Exploring Teachers' Intentions to Use Behavioral Classroom Interventions

Multi-tiered systems of behavioral supports offer teachers tools to implement positive, antecedent- or consequence-based interventions for all students (i.e., Tier 1), and for those who need additional support (i.e., Tier 2), such as students with ADHD. Because these interventions may be challenging to use, targeted, theory-driven implementation strategies may assist teachers in implementing them with fidelity. This exploratory study examined teachers' intended and self-reported use of specific Tier 1 and Tier 2 behavioral classroom interventions. Sixty-five K-8 teachers from five urban public schools completed an online survey about their intentions to use and self-reported use of four Tier 1 and Tier 2 behavioral classroom interventions. Teachers' intentions varied by intervention, with the weakest intentions for using a daily behavior report (Tier 2), and weaker intentions for using high rates of specific praise than for other Tier 1 interventions. Teacher's self-reported use was significantly lower than intended use for Tier 1 interventions, but not Tier 2 interventions. Results were generally similar whether the referent group was students with ADHD symptoms or the entire class. These results suggest specific factors to target to support teachers' use of behavioral classroom interventions.

Linking organizational climate for evidence-based practice implementation to observed clinician behavior in patient encounters: a lagged analysis

Background

Theory and empirical research suggest organizational climate for evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation may be an important and malleable target to improve clinician use of EBPs in healthcare; however, this work has been criticized for overreliance on self-report measures of implementation outcomes and cross-sectional designs. This study combines data from two studies spanning 7 years to test the hypothesis that higher levels of organizational EBP implementation climate prospectively predicts improved clinician adherence to an EBP, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), as rated by expert observers.

Methods

Biennial assessments of EBP implementation climate collected in 10 community mental health agencies in Philadelphia as part of a systemwide evaluation (time 1) were linked to subsequent observer ratings of clinician adherence to CBT in clinical encounters with 108 youth (time 2). Experts rated clinician adherence to CBT using the Therapy Process Observation Coding System which generated two primary outcomes (a) maximum CBT adherence per session (i.e., highest rated CBT intervention per session; depth of delivery) and (b) average CBT adherence per session (i.e., mean rating across all CBT interventions used; depth and breadth of delivery).

Results

On average, time 2 clinician adherence observations occurred 19.8 months (SD = 10.15) after time 1 organizational climate assessments. Adjusting for organization, clinician, and client covariates, a one standard deviation increase in organizational EBP implementation climate at time 1 predicted a 0.63-point increase in clinicians’ maximum CBT adherence per session at time 2 (p = 0.000), representing a large effect size (d = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.63–1.24) when comparing organizations in the upper (k = 3) versus lower tertiles (k = 3) of EBP implementation climate. Higher levels of time 1 organizational EBP implementation climate also predicted higher time 2 average CBT adherence per session (b = 0.23, p < 0.001, d = 0.72). Length of time between assessments of climate and adherence did not moderate these relationships.

Conclusions

Organizational EBP implementation climate is a promising predictor of clinicians’ subsequent observed adherence to CBT. Implementation strategies that target this antecedent may improve the delivery of EBPs in healthcare settings.

Clinician Maladaptive Anxious Avoidance in the Context of Implementation of Evidence-Based Interventions: A Commentary

This paper posits that a clinician's own anxious reaction to delivering specific evidence-based interventions (EBIs) should be better accounted for within implementation science frameworks. A key next step for implementation science is to delineate the causal processes most likely to influence successful implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs). This is critical for being able to develop tailored implementation strategies that specifically target mechanisms by which implementation succeeds or fails. First, we review the literature on specific EBIs that may act as negatively valenced stimuli for clinicians, leading to a process of clinician maladaptive anxious avoidance that can negatively impact EBI delivery. In the following sections, we argue that there are certain EBIs that can cause emotional distress or discomfort in a clinician, related to either: (1) a clinicians' fear of the real or predicted short-term distress the EBI can cause patients, or (2) fears that the clinician will inadvertently cause the patient harm and/or face liability. This distress experienced by the clinician can perpetuate a cycle of maladaptive anxious avoidance by the clinician, contributing to lack of or suboptimal EBI implementation. We illustrate how this cycle of maladaptive anxious avoidance can influence implementation by providing several examples from leading EBIs in the psychosocial literature. To conclude, we discuss how leveraging decades of treatment literature aimed at mitigating maladaptive anxious avoidance can inform the design of more tailored and effective implementation strategies for EBIs that are negatively valenced.

Stakeholder intention to engage in fidelity measurement methods in community mental health settings: A mixed methods study

Background

The current gold standard for measuring fidelity (specifically, adherence) to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is direct observation, a costly, resource-intensive practice that is not feasible for many community organizations to implement regularly. Recent research indicates that behavioral rehearsal (i.e., role-play between clinician and individual with regard to session delivery) and chart-stimulated recall (i.e., brief structured interview between clinician and individual about what they did in session; clinicians use the client chart to prompt memory) may provide accurate and affordable alternatives for measuring adherence to CBT in such settings, with behavioral rehearsal yielding greater correspondence with direct observation.

Methods

Drawing on established causal theories from social psychology and leading implementation science frameworks, this study evaluates stakeholders’ intention to use behavioral rehearsal and chart-stimulated recall. Specifically, we measured attitudes, self-efficacy, and subjective norms toward using each, and compared these factors across the two methods. We also examined the relationship between attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norms, and intention to use each method. Finally, using an integrated approach we asked stakeholders to discuss their perception of contextual factors that may influence beliefs about using each method. These data were collected from community-based supervisors ( n = 17) and clinicians ( n = 66).

Results

Quantitative analyses suggest moderately strong intention to use both methods across stakeholders. There were no differences in supervisors’ or clinicians’ attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norms, or intention across methods. More positive attitudes and greater reported subjective norms were associated with greater reported intention to use either measure. Qualitative analyses identified participants’ specific beliefs about using each fidelity measure in their organization, and results were organized using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Conclusions

Strategies are warranted to overcome or minimize potential barriers to using fidelity measurement methods and to further increase the strength of intention to use them. Plain Language Summary: The best way to measure fidelity, or how closely a clinician follows the protocol, to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is watching the session. This is an expensive practice that is not feasible for many community organizations to do regularly. Recent research indicates that behavioral rehearsal, or a role-play between the clinician and individual with regard to session delivery, and chart-stimulated recall, or a brief discussion between an individual and the clinician about what they did in session with the clinician having access to the chart to help them remember, may provide accurate and affordable alternatives for measuring fidelity to CBT. We just completed a study demonstrating that both methods are promising, with behavioral rehearsal offering scores that are the most similar to watching the session. Drawing on established theories from social psychology and leading implementation science frameworks, this study evaluates future supervisor and clinician motivation to use these fidelity measurement methods. Specifically, we measured supervisor (n = 17) and clinician (n = 66) attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, intentions, and anticipated barriers and facilitators to using each of these fidelity measurement tools. Quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest similar intention to use both methods, and concerns about barriers to using each method. Further research is warranted to minimize the burden associated with implementing fidelity measurement methods and deploying strategies to increase use.

Assessing Causal Pathways and Targets of Implementation Variability for EBP use (Project ACTIVE): a study protocol

Background

Advancing causal implementation theory is critical for designing tailored implementation strategies that target specific mechanisms associated with evidence-based practice (EBP) use. This study will test the generalizability of a conceptual model that integrates organizational constructs and behavioral theory to predict clinician use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques in community mental health centers. CBT is a leading psychosocial EBP for psychiatric disorders that remains underused despite substantial efforts to increase its implementation.

Methods

We will leverage ongoing CBT implementation efforts in two large public health systems (Philadelphia and Texas) to recruit 300 mental health clinicians and 600 of their clients across 40 organizations. Our primary implementation outcomes of interest are clinician intentions to use CBT and direct observation of clinician use of CBT. As CBT comprises discrete components that vary in complexity and acceptability, we will measure clinician use of six discrete components of CBT. After finishing their CBT training, participating clinicians will complete measures of organizational and behavior change constructs delineated in the model. Clinicians also will be observed twice via audio recording delivering CBT with a client. Within 48 h of each observation, theorized moderators of the intention-behavior gap will be collected via survey. A subset of clinicians who report high intentions to use CBT but demonstrate low use will be purposively recruited to complete semi-structured interviews assessing reasons for the intention-behavior gap. Multilevel path analysis will test the extent to which intentions and determinants of intention predict the use of each discrete CBT component. We also will test the extent to which theorized determinants of intention that include psychological, organizational, and contextual factors explain variation in intention and moderate the association between intentions and CBT use.

Discussion

Project ACTIVE will advance implementation theory, currently in its infancy, by testing the generalizability of a promising causal model of implementation. These results will inform the development of implementation strategies targeting modifiable factors that explain substantial variance in intention and implementation that can be applied broadly across EBPs.

The impact of implementation climate on community mental health clinicians’ attitudes toward exposure: An evaluation of the effects of training and consultation

Background:

Most evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders include exposure; however, in community settings, the implementation of exposure lags behind other EBT components. Clinician-level determinants have been consistently implicated as barriers to exposure implementation, but few organizational determinants have been studied. The current study examines an organization-level determinant, implementation climate, and clinician-level determinants, clinician demographic and background factors, as predictors of attitudes toward exposure and changes in attitudes following training.

Method:

Clinicians (n = 197) completed a 3-day training with 6 months of twice-monthly consultation. Clinicians were trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression, behavior problems, and trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT). Demographic and background information, implementation climate, and attitudes toward exposure were assessed in a pre-training survey; attitudes were reassessed at post-consultation. Implementation climate was measured at the aggregated/group-level and clinician-level.

Results:

Attitudes toward exposure significantly improved from pre-training to post-consultation (t(193) = 9.9, p < .001; d = 0.71). Clinician-level implementation climate scores did not predict more positive attitudes at pre-training (p > .05) but did predict more positive attitudes at post-consultation (ß = −2.46; p < .05) and greater changes in those attitudes (ß = 2.28; p < .05). Group-level implementation climate scores did not predict attitudes at pre-training, post-consultation, or changes in attitudes (all ps > .05). Higher frequency of self-reported CBT use was associated with more positive attitudes at pre-training (ß = −0.81; p < .05), but no other clinician demographic or background determinants were associated with attitudes at post-consultation (all p > .05) or with changes in attitudes (all p > .05).

Conclusions:

Clinician perceptions of implementation climate predicted greater improvement of attitudes toward exposure following EBT training and consultation. Findings suggest that organizational determinants outside of training impact changes in clinicians’ attitudes. Training in four EBTs, only two of which include exposure as a component, resulted in positive changes in clinicians’ attitudes toward exposure, which suggests non-specialty trainings can be effective at changing attitudes, which may enable scale-up.

Exposure is highly effective for treating trauma symptoms and anxiety-based disorders, but it is not commonly used in community mental health settings. Clinicians who endorsed higher expectations, support, and rewards for using exposure in their agency had more positive attitudes toward exposure after training and consultation. Additionally, clinicians who endorsed that exposure is expected, supported, and rewarded in their agency showed a greater improvement in attitudes throughout the training process. Organizational culture can affect clinicians’ attitude changes in the training process, and therefore should become a focus of training efforts.

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Competence Scale (CCS): initial development and validation

Background:

Nearly one-third of youth are affected by a mental health disorder, and the majority do not receive adequate care. To improve clinical outcomes among youth, efforts have been made to train providers in evidence-based mental health practices, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Such efforts call for valid assessment measures that can inform and evaluate training activities.

Aims:

This study presents the development and validation of the CBT Competence Scale (CCS), a brief self-report measure to assess provider competence for CBT delivery.

Method:

Participants were 387 school mental health professionals (SMHPs) working with students in Michigan, USA. Initial items (n=59) were developed to evaluate competence in delivering common elements of CBT, with competence conceptualized as covering domains of knowledge, perception, and use of CBT techniques. CCS validation proceeded in three steps: using item response theory to select the most important items for assessing knowledge, evaluating the factor structure using exploratory and then confirmatory factor analyses, and examining reliability and validity of the resultant measure.

Results:

The validated CCS measure consists of four dimensions of CBT competence across 33 items: Non-behavioral skills, Behavioral skills, Perceptions, and Knowledge. The CCS demonstrated excellent internal consistency and good construct-based validity.

Conclusions:

The CCS holds promise as a valid, informative measure of CBT competence appropriate for the school setting, with potential for application in other environments such as mental health clinics.

Key learning aims

(1)

Understanding therapists' perceived determinants of trauma narrative use

BACKGROUND

Trauma narratives are a critical, exposure-based component of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, yet community therapists rarely use them. Given evidence that intentions to deliver elements of cognitive behavioral therapy vary by component, and that intentions to deliver exposure are the weakest, this study focused specifically on trauma narratives. We drew on a social psychology causal theory (Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)) and an implementation science framework (the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)) to glean insight into multilevel influences on trauma narrative use. While the CFIR offers a broad list of factors potentially affecting implementation, the TPB offers causal pathways between individual-level constructs that predict behavior, including the uptake of an evidence-based intervention. The integration of these approaches may provide a more complete understanding of factors affecting therapists' use of TNs.

METHODS

Therapists (n=65) trained in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy completed a survey about their use of and beliefs about trauma narratives. Content analysis was used to identify common beliefs about trauma narratives. A subset of participants (n=17) completed follow-up qualitative interviews, which were analyzed using an integrated approach informed by the CFIR.

RESULTS

While most participants reported high intentions to use TNs, nearly half reported that they did not use TNs in the last 6 months. Survey data indicate a number of TPB-related determinants related to using trauma narratives. Qualitative interviews identified CFIR-relevant contextual factors that may influence constructs central to TPB.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight the importance of integrating approaches that address multiple theoretical determinants of therapist behavior, including therapist, organizational, and client factors with causal explanations to explain implementation behavior.

Attitude theory and measurement in implementation science: a secondary review of empirical studies and opportunities for advancement

BACKGROUND

Implementation science studies often express interest in "attitudes," a term borrowed from psychology. In psychology, attitude research has an established methodological and theoretical base, which we briefly summarize here. We then review implementation studies designed to measure attitudes and compare their definitions and methods with those from psychology.

METHODS

A recent review identified 46 studies empirically examining factors associated with implementation. For each of these studies, we evaluated whether authors included attitudes as a construct of interest, and if so, whether and how the construct was defined, measured, and analyzed.

RESULTS

Most of the articles (29/46 [63%]) mention attitudes as an implementation factor. Six articles include a definition of the construct. Nineteen studies were designed to measure attitudes but lacked clarity in describing how attitudes were measured. Those that explained their measurement approach used methods that differed from one another and from validated methods in social psychology. Few articles described associated analyses or provided results specific to attitudes. Despite the lack of specificity regarding relevant measurement, analysis, and results, the articles often included causal conclusions about the role of attitudes.

CONCLUSIONS

Attitudes may be an important construct to implementation scientists, but studies to date are ambiguous in their definitions of attitudes and inconsistent in the methods used to measure and analyze attitudes. We discuss how implementation studies can apply psychology's standardized definitions, validated measurement approaches, and causal models that include attitudes. This application of attitude theory and methods could offer implementation research valuable scientific opportunities.

Using behavioral insights to design implementation strategies in public mental health settings: a qualitative study of clinical decision-making

BACKGROUND

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based intervention for youth with posttraumatic stress disorder. An important component of TF-CBT is the trauma narrative (TN), a phase in the intervention in which youth are guided to process the memories, thoughts, and feelings associated with their traumatic experience(s). Previous work has shown that TF-CBT clinicians complete TNs with only half of their clients, yet little is known about what determines TF-CBT clinicians' use of TNs. The behavioral insights literature-an interdisciplinary field studying judgment and decision-making-offers theoretical and empirical tools to conceptualize what drives complex human behaviors and decisions. Drawing from the behavioral insights literature, the present study seeks to understand what determines clinician use of TNs and to generate strategies that target these determinants.

METHODS

Through semi-structured qualitative interviews, we sought the perspectives of trained TF-CBT clinicians working in public mental health settings across the city of Philadelphia (N = 17) to understand their decisions to use TNs with clients. We analyzed the qualitative data using a coding approach informed by the behavioral insights literature. We used an iterative process of structured hypothesis generation, aided by a behavioral insights guide, and rapid validation informed by behavioral insights to uncover the determinants of TN use. We then generated implementation strategies that targeted these determinants using the "Easy Attractive Social Timely" framework, a behavioral insights design approach.

RESULTS

We generated and validated three broad themes about what determines clinician implementation of TNs: decision complexity, clinician affective experience, and agency norms. We hypothesized behavioral insights that underlie these implementation determinants and designed a list of nine corresponding behavioral insights strategies that may facilitate TN implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study investigated why an effective component of an evidence-based intervention is difficult to implement. We leveraged robust scientific theories and empirical regularities from the behavioral insights literature to understand clinician perspectives on TN implementation. These factors were theoretically linked to implementation strategies. Our work revealed the potential for using behavioral insights in the diagnosis of evidence-based intervention determinants and the design of implementation strategies.

Changes in Community Clinicians' Attitudes and Competence following a Transdiagnostic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training

Background

Although the literature suggest that attitudes toward evidence-based practices (EBPs) are associated with provider use of EBPs, less is known about the association between attitudes and how competently EBPs are delivered. This study examined how initial attitudes and competence relate to improvements in attitudes and competence following EBP training.

Methods

Program evaluation data was collected during implementation of an EBP in a large community mental health network. Clinicians (N=891) received intensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy followed by six months of consultation. Attitudes were assessed using the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale, and competence was assessed using the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale. Data were analyzed by fitting three latent change score models to examine the relationship between changes in attitudes and competence across the training and within its two phases (workshop phase, consultation phase).

Results

Latent change models identified significant improvement in attitudes (Ms _latent change≥1.03, SEs≤ 0.18, zs≥6.55, ps< .001) and competence (Ms _{latent change} ≥14.16, SEs≤3.10, zs≥2.82, ps<.001) across the full training and in each phase. Higher pre-workshop attitudes predicted significantly greater change in competence in the workshop and across training (bs≥1.62, SEs≤0.90, z≥1.09, p<.04, β≥0.10); however, contrary to our hypothesis, post-workshop attitudes did not significantly predict change in competence in consultation (b=1.62, SE=0.86, z=1.87, p=.06, β=0.09). Change in attitudes and change in competence in the training period and within the two phases were not significantly correlated.

Conclusions

Results indicate that pre-training attitudes about EBPs present a target for implementation interventions, given their relation to changes in both attitudes and competence throughout training. Following participation in in itial training workshops, other factors such as subjective norms, implementation culture, or system-level policy shifts may be more predictive of change in competence through consultation.

Training with tarantulas: A randomized feasibility and acceptability study using experiential learning to enhance exposure therapy training

BACKGROUND

Although exposure is a key evidence-based intervention for anxiety, it is infrequently used in clinical settings. This study employed a novel training strategy, experiential learning, to improve exposure implementation. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of experiential training and preliminary training effectiveness.

METHODS

Participants were 28 therapists who were randomized to (a) training-as-usual or (b) experiential training (training-as-usual plus a one-session treatment for fear of spiders). Workshops lasted one day and were followed by three months of weekly consultation.

RESULTS

Experiential training was viewed as feasible and acceptable. Participants, including those who were fearful of spiders, had a positive response to the training and reported it to be useful. There was a significant increase in the number of exposures used by therapists receiving experiential training compared to training-as-usual at 1-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

A one-day training resulted in significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes toward exposure, and self-efficacy in using exposure. Preliminary findings suggest that experiential training resulted in greater use of exposure post-training compared to training-as-usual. Results provide evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of experiential training as a strategy to increase the use of evidence-based interventions.

Predicting implementation: comparing validated measures of intention and assessing the role of motivation when designing behavioral interventions

BACKGROUND

Behavioral intention (which captures one's level of motivation to perform a behavior) is considered a causal and proximal mechanism influencing the use of evidence-based practice (EBP). Implementation studies have measured intention differently, and it is unclear which is most predictive. Some use items referring to "evidence-based practice" in general, whereas others refer to a specific EBP. There are also unresolved debates about whether item stems should be worded "I intend to," "I will," or "How likely are you to" and if a single-item measure can suffice. Using each stem to refer to either a specific EBP or to "evidence-based practice," this study compares the ability of these commonly used measures to predict future EBP implementation. The predictive validity is important for causal model testing and the development of effective implementation strategies.

METHODS

A longitudinal study enrolled 70 teachers to track their use of two EBPs and compare the predictive validity of six different items measuring teachers' intention. The measures differ by whether an item refers to a specific EBP, or to "evidence-based practices" in general, and whether the stem is worded in one of the three ways: "I intend to," "I will," or "How likely are you to." For each item, linear regressions estimated the variance in future behavior explained. We also compared the predictive validity of a single item versus an aggregate of items by inter-correlating the items using different stems and estimating the explained variance in EBP implementation.

RESULTS

Depending on the EBP and how intention was measured, the explained variance in implementation ranged from 3.5 to 29.0%. Measures that referred to a specific EBP, rather than "evidence-based practices" in general, accounted for more variance in implementation (e.g., 29.0% vs. 8.6%, and 11.3% vs. 3.5%). The predictive validity varied depending on whether stems were worded "I intend to," "I will," or "How likely are you to."

CONCLUSIONS

The observed strength of the association between intentions and EBP use will depend on how intention is measured. The association was much stronger if an item referred to a specific EBP, rather than EBP in general. To predict implementation, the results support using an aggregate of two or three intention items that refer to the specific EBP. An even more pragmatic measure of intention consisting of a single item can also predict implementation. As discussed, the relationship will also vary depending on the EBP, which has direct implications for causal model testing and the design of implementation strategies.

Therapist training in evidence-based interventions for mental health: A systematic review of training approaches and outcomes

A lack of effective therapist training is a major barrier to evidence-based intervention (EBI) delivery in the community. Systematic reviews published nearly a decade ago suggested that traditional EBI training leads to higher knowledge but not more EBI use, indicating that more work is needed to optimize EBI training and implementation. This systematic review synthesizes the training literature published since 2010 to evaluate how different training models (workshop, workshop with consultation, online training, train-the-trainer, and intensive training) affect therapists' knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors. Results and limitations for each approach are discussed. Findings show that training has advanced beyond provision of manuals and brief workshops; more intensive training models show promise for changing therapist behavior. However, methodological issues persist, limiting conclusions and pointing to important areas for future research.