More Deliberate Practice Resources…

May 30, 2017 By scottdm 1 Comment

Last week, I blogged about a free, online resource aimed at helping therapists improve their outcomes via deliberate practice. As the web-based system was doubling as a randomized controlled trial (RCT), participants would not only be accessing a cutting-edge, evidence-based protocol but also contributing to the field’s growing knowledge in this area.

To say interest was high, doesn’t even come close. Within 45 minutes of the first social media blast, every available spot was filled–including those on the waiting list! Lead researchers Daryl Chow and Sharon Lu managed to open a few additional spots, and yet demand still far exceeded supply.

I soon started getting emails. Their content was strikingly similar–like the one I received from Kathy Hardie-Williams, an MFT from Forest Grove, Oregon, “I’m interested in deliberate practice! Are there other materials, measures, tools that I can access and start using in my practice?”

The answer is, “YES!” Here they are:

Resource #1. Written for practicing therapists, supervisors, and supervisees, this volume brings together leading researchers and supervisors to teach practical methods for using deliberate practice to improve the effectiveness of psychotherapy.

Written for practicing therapists, supervisors, and supervisees, this volume brings together leading researchers and supervisors to teach practical methods for using deliberate practice to improve the effectiveness of psychotherapy.

Twelve chapters split into four sections covering: (1) the science of expertise and professional development; (2) practical, evidence-based methods for tracking individual performance; (3) step-by-step applications for integrating deliberate practice into clinical practice and supervision; and (4) recommendations for making psychotherapist expertise development routine and expected.

“This book offers a challenge and a roadmap for addressing a fundamental issue in mental health: How can therapists improve and become experts? Our goal,” the editors of this new volume state, ” is to bring the science of expertise to the field of mental health. We do this by proposing a model for using the ‘Cycle of Excellence’ throughout therapists’ careers, from supervised training to independent practice.”

The book is due out June 1st. Order today by clicking here: The Cycle of Excellence: Using Deliberate Practice to Improve Supervision and Training

Resource #2: The MyOutcomes E-Learning Platform

The folks at MyOutcomes have just added a new module on deliberate practice to their already extensive e-learning platform. The information is cutting edge, and the production values simply fantastic. More, MyOutcomes is offering free access to the system for the first 25 people who email to support@myoutcomes.com. Put the words, “Responding to Scott’s Blogpost” in the subject line. Meanwhile, here’s a taste of the course:

Resource #3:

Last but not least, the FIT Professional Development Intensive. There simply is no better way to learn about deliberate practice than to attend the upcoming intensive in Chicago. It’s the only such training available. Together with my colleague, Tony Rousmaniere–author of the new book, Deliberate Practice for Psychotherapists: A Guide to Improving Clinical Effectiveness, we will help you develop an individualized plan for improving your effectiveness based on the latest scientific evidence on expert performance.

We’ve got a few spaces left. Those already registered are coming from spots all around globe, so you’ll be in good company. Click here to register today!

OK, that’s it for now. Wishing you all the best for the Summer,

Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.

Can you tell me what I’m supposed to do? A free deliberate practice resource

May 17, 2017 By scottdm 5 Comments

You’ve read the studies. Maybe you’ve even attended a training.

Deliberate practice is the key to improving your effectiveness as a psychotherapist. Top performing therapists devote twice as much time to the process. More, when employed purposefully and mindfully, the outcomes of average practitioners steadily rise over time.

But what exactly is a therapist supposed to practice in order to improve? It’s a question that comes up within minutes of introducing the subject at my workshops–one my colleagues, Daryl Chow, Sharon Lu, Geoffrey Tan, and I have been working on answering.

Just over three years ago, we published preliminary results of a study documenting the impact of individualized feedback and rehearsal on mastering difficult conversations in psychotherapy. Therapists not only improved their ability to respond empathically under especially challenging circumstances, but were able to generalize what they learned to new and different situations.

Now, the entire deliberate practice program has gone online. In light of the research, it’s been both expanded and refined. There’s no need to leave the comfort of your home or office and, best of all, it’s free.

Sign up to participate and you will learn what to practice as well as receive feedback specifically tailored to your professional development. You will also be helping the field as the program is part of a research study on deliberate practice.

****UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!****

Response to the above post has been overwhelming! Despite the size of the study, all of the available spots filled within 45 minutes. I’ve been corresponding with the chief researcher, Daryl Chow, Ph.D.. He tells me 15 more spots have just been added. If you want to participate, click here. The password is: DCT. If all of the spots are taken, please add your name to the wait list.

One more opportunity: join me in Chicago for the upcoming two-day intensive on deliberate practice. For more information or to register, click on the icon below my name. As with the online program, we are nearly full, so register today.

Until next time,

Scott

Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.
Director, International Center for Clinical Excellence

The Illness and the Cure: Two Free, Evidence-based Resources for What Ails and Can Heal Serious Psychological Distress

April 18, 2017 By scottdm 14 Comments

Findings from several recent studies are sobering. Depression is now the leading cause of ill-health and disability worldwide–more than cancer, heart disease, respiratory problems, and accidents. Yesterday, researchers reported that serious psychological distress is at an all-time high, significantly affecting not only quality but actual life expectancy. And who has not heard about the opioid crisis–33,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2015 and rising?

The research is clear: psychotherapy helps. Indeed, its effectiveness is on par with coronary artery bypass surgery. Despite such results, availability of mental health services in the U.S. and other Westernized nations has seriously eroded over the last decade. Additionally, modern clinical practice is beset by regulation and paperwork, much of which gets in the way of treatment’s most important healing ingredient: the relationship.

What can practitioners do? Students Taking Notes at Desks by VCU_Brandcenter

Completing paperwork together with clients during the visit–a process termed, “collaborative (or concurrent) documentation”–has been shown to save full-time practitioners between 6 and 8 hours per week, thereby improving capacity up to 20%.

It’s a great idea: completing assessments, treatment plans, and progress notes together with clients during rather than after the session. Unfortunately, it’s chief selling point to date seems to be that it saves time on documentation–as though filling out paperwork is an end in and of itself! Clearly, the real challenges facing mental health services are getting people into and keeping them in care. Here, the research literature is clear, people are more likely to stay engaged in care that is: (1) organized around their goals; and (2) works. Collaborating on and coming to a consensus regarding the goals for treatment, for example, has the largest impact on outcome among all of the relationship factors in psychotherapy, including empathy! Additionally, when documentation FITs the clients’ view of the process and is deemed transparent and respectful, trust–another essential ingredient of the therapeutic relationship–improves.

For the last several years, practitioners and agencies around the world have been using the ICCE “Service Delivery Agreement” and “Progress Note” as part of their documentation of clinical services. Both were specifically designed to be completed collaboratively with clients at the time the service is provided and both are focused on documenting what matters to people in treatment. Most important of all, however, both are part of an evidence-based process documented to improve engagement and effectiveness listed on SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.

For the next short while, I’ll send you the forms for free, along with a detailed instruction booklet for incorporating them into your clinical work. Reduce the “paper curtain” in your practice. Just email me at scottdmiller@talkingcure.com. Better yet, register for our upcoming intensive trainings this summer in Chicago. Click on any of the course icons to the right for detailed information.

Until next time,

Scott

Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.
Director, International Center for Clinical Excellence