Practice-Based Evidence in Norway: An Interview with Psychologist Mikael Aagard

January 19, 2010 By scottdm Leave a Comment

For those of you following me on Facebook–and if you’re not, click here to start–you know that I was traveling above the arctic circle in Norway last week. I always enjoy visiting the Scandinavian countries. My grandparents immigrated from nearby Sweden. I lived there myself for a number of years (and speak the language). And I am married to a Norwegian! So, I consider Scandinavia to be my second home.

In a prior post, I talked a bit about the group I worked with during my three day stay in Tromso. Here, I briefly interview psychologist Mikael Aagard, the organizer of the conference. Mikael works at KORUS Nord, an addiction technology transfer center, which sponsored the training. His mission? To help clinicians working in the trenches stay up-to-date with the research on “what works” in behavioral health. Judging by the tremendous response–people came from all over the disparate regions of far northern Norway to attend the conference–he is succeeding.

Listen as he describes the challenges facing practitioners in Norway and the need to balance the “evidence-based practice” movement with “practice-based evidence.” If you’d like any additional information regarding KORUS, feel free to connect with Mikael and his colleagues by visiting their website. Information about the activities of the International Center for Clinical Excellence in Scandinavia can be found at: www.centerforclinicalexcellence.org.

Evidence-based practice or practice-based evidence? Article in the Los Angeles Times addresses the debate in behavioral health

January 18, 2010 By scottdm Leave a Comment

January 11th, 2010

“Debate over Cognitive & Traditional Mental Health Therapy” by Eric Jaffe

The fight debate between different factons, interest groups, scholars within the field of mental health hit the pages of the Los Angeles Times this last week. At issue? Supposedly, whether the field will become “scientific” in practice or remain mired in traditions of the past. On the one side are the enthusiastic supporters of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) who claim that existing research provides overwhelming support for the use of CBT for the treatment of specific mental disorders. On the other side are traditional, humanistic, “feel-your-way-as-you-go” practitioners who emphasize quality over the quantitative.

My response? Spuds or potatoes. Said another way, I can’t see any difference between the two warring factions. Yes, research indicates the CBT works. That exact same body of literature shows overwhelmingly, however, that any and all therapeutic approaches intended to be therapeutic are effective. And yes, certainly, quality is important. The question is, however, “what counts as quality?” and more importantly, “who gets to decide?”

In the Los Angeles Times article, I offer a third way; what has loosely been termed, “practice-based evidence.” The bottom line? Practitioners must seek and obtain valid, reliable, and ongoing feedback from consumers regarding the quality and effectiveness of the services they offer. After all, what person following unsuccessful treatment would say, “well, at least I got CBT!” or, “I’m sure glad I got the quality treatment.”

"What Works" in Norway

January 13, 2010 By scottdm 1 Comment

Dateline: Tromso, 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 seek and utilize feedback from consumers on an ongoing basis. The crowd was enthusiastic, the food fantastic, and the location, well, simply inspiring. Tomorrow, I’ll be working with a smaller group of practitioners, doing an advanced training. More to come.