Nearly three years have passed since I blogged about claims being made about the impact of routine outcome monitoring (ROM) on the quality and outcome of mental health services.  While a small number of studies showed promise, others results indicated that therapists did not learn from nor become more effective ...
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Available evidence leaves little doubt.  As I’ve blogged about previously, separating intake from treatment results in: • Higher dropout rates; • Poorer outcomes; • Longer treatment duration; and • Higher costs And yet, in many public behavioral health agencies, the practice is commonplace. What else can we expect? Chronically ...
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In May 2012, I blogged about results from a Swedish study examining the impact of psychotherapy's "favorite son"--cognitive behavioral therapy--on the outcome of people disabled by depression and anxiety.  Like many other Western countries, the percentage of people in Sweden disabled by mental health problems was growing dramatically.  Costs were skyrocketing.  Even with treatment, far too many left the workforce permanently ...
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Just over a year ago, I blogged about an article that appeared in one of the U.K.'s largest daily newspapers, The Guardian.  Below a picture of an attractive, yet dejected looking woman (reclined on a couch), the caption read, "Major new study reveals incorrect...care can do more harm than good." ...
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The world seems to be in the midst of a pandemic of burnout, spread across all age groups, genders, professions, and cultures. Research specific to mental health providers finds that between 21 and 67 percent may be experiencing high levels.  Other related “conditions” have been identified, including compassion fatigue (CF), ...
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Over the last several weeks, I've posted a series of blogs on some pretty serious subjects: (1) new and counterintuitive findings about the therapeutic relationship; (2) data documenting the lack of difference in outcome between mental health professionals, students, paraprofessionals, and a compassionate friend; and (3) cutting edge research on ...
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My Scandinavian Grandmother Christina was fond of saying, “The room for improvement…is the biggest one in our house.” Turns out, when it comes to engaging people in physical and mental health services, Grandma was right.  We healthcare professionals can do better—and recent research points the way. Stanford psychologists Sims and ...
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What’s the difference between a trained therapist and a compassionate friend?  Look at outcomes and you are likely to be disappointed.  For example, meta-analyses of studies comparing professionals to paraprofessionals (or students) either find that the latter group achieve significantly better results or, at worst, the same! A clearer difference ...
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You are not going to believe me when I say it. Fifty percent. It’s true. Even in studies where carefully selected therapists who receive copious amounts of training, support, and supervision, and treat clients with a single diagnosis or problem, between 5 and 10% get worse and 35-40% experience ...
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It’s one of those secrets everyone knows, but few talk openly about: some therapists are more effective than others. Available evidence indicates that clients seen by these practitioners experience 50% more improvement, 50% less drop out, have shorter lengths of stay, and are significantly less likely to deteriorate while ...
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What do the Sydney Opera House, Boston Central Artery Tunnel, and Eurozone Typhoon Defense Project all have in common?   In each case, their developers suffered from, “The Planning Fallacy” (PF). First recognized in 1979 by Nobel Prize winning psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, the planning fallacy is the ...
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Is it me or is time speeding up?  We're already 40 days into the New Year. Seems like only yesterday, I was planning for the Holidays: meals, get-togethers and, of course, gifts. Gifts.  Since the turn of the century, researchers tell us our tastes have changed.  Forget toys, aftershave, ...
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What topics are practitioners interested in learning about? If you read a research journal, attend a continuing education event, or examine the syllabus from any graduate school course, you're likely to conclude: (1) diagnosis; (2) treatment methods; and perhaps (3) the brain.  As I've blogged about previously, the brain ...
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Do you get those letters about the top healthcare providers in your area? At the beginning of the new year, our city's local magazine publishes a list of the top healthcare providers.  It's a big deal.  Organized by location and specialty, the issue contains full-page photos, glossy spreads, and ...
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Growing up, my family had a game we frequently played around the dining room table.  "If you could invite anyone to dinner," it always started,"who would it be?"  Invariably, my father chose historical figures: Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Leonardo Da Vinci.  My mom was more inclined toward the living: ...
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So, how much time do you spend doing paperwork?  Assessments, progress notes, treatment plans, billing, updates, etc.--the lot? When I asked the director of the agency I was working at last week, it took him no time to respond. "Fifty percent," he said, then added without the slightest bit ...
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