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Something New

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something new ICCE

Actually, it’s more accurate to say, “Everything is new!”  The International Center for Clinical Excellence is coming up on its fifth birthday!   Since its launch in 2010, the ICCE has become the largest, online community of behavioral health practitioners and researchers in the world.  To celebrate, we are launching an entirely new web platform.   All the features you’ve come to expect remain—the discussions with colleagues, the document library, the commercial free atmosphere.   At the same time, everything has been streamlined, made faster, easier, and more intuitive.  Log in today!   Join a forum.  Start a conversation.  Share a presentation or paper with others. As you can see my own website has been completely redone.  The “Top Performance” blog is now front and center.  Plug in your email address and you’ll get regular updates regarding how to improve your effectiveness.   As always, my articles, books, video and audio materials are available with the click of a button.  You can also find an up-to-date schedule of workshops and intensive trainings in feedback informed treatment (FIT).

PCOMS - Partners for change outcome management system Scott D Miller - SAMHSA - NREPP Speaking of FIT, have you visited the www.whatispcoms.com website?  It’s the official website for ICCE’s Partners for Change Outcome Management System.  Here you can learn everything you need to know to get started using the feedback process documented to improve effectiveness and approved by SAMHSA as an evidence-based practice.  What’s new?  Thanks to ICCE members around the world, the site is available in five different languages, including: English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish.   Until next time!

Is Supervision Important to you?

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ShowMeTheData-Howl-1

How valuable is clinical supervision to you?  In their massive, long-term international study of therapist development, researchers Orlinsky and Rønnestad (2005) found that “practitioners at all experience levels, theoretical orientations, professions, and nationalities report that supervised client experience is highly important for their current and career development” (p. 188).

Despite the value most of us place on the process, the latest review of the literature found no empirical evidence, “that psychotherapy supervision contributes to patient outcome” (Watkins, 2011).  Said another way, supervision does not produce more effective clinicians.  The result?  In the US, at least, opportunities for clinical supervision are in the decline, replaced by growing documentation requirements and administrative oversight–a trend destined to continue if the dearth of evidence persists.

What can be done?  Simply put, solicit formal feedback from clients regarding their experience of progress and the therapeutic relationship.  Such information, in turn, can be used to guide supervision, providing both a focus for the consultation and data supporting its effectiveness.  After all, multiple studies already document that the process improves outcomes while simultaneously decreasing drop out and deterioration rates (Miller, 2013 ).

Getting started is not difficult.  First, access two, free, easy-to-use scales for monitoring client progress and the relationship.   Second, join colleagues in the largest, online community of behavioral health professionals in the world.  It’s free–no hidden costs or secret levels of premium content.  On the ICCE, you can connect and consult with practitioners who are using feedback to improve the quality and outcome of treatment and supervision.  If you are new to feedback-informed work (FIT)–a SAMHSA certified evidence-based practice–you can get a thorough introduction at: www.whatispcoms.com .

Finally, get the  Feedback-Informed supervision manual and newly released, two-hour DVD.  Both provide step-by step instructions and examples of integrating feedback into supervision.  While you are at it, join us for our Feedback-Informed Supervision Intensive.  Last time around, it sold out months advance.  Registration is now open for our next training in March 2015.

What can therapists learn from the CIA? Experts versus the "Wisdom of the Crowd"

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Central psychotherapy agency

What can we therapists learn from the CIA?  In a phrase, “When it comes to making predictions about important future events, don’t rely on experts!”

After a spate of embarrassing, high-profile intelligence failures, a recent story showed how a relatively small group of average people made better predictions about critical world events than highly-trained analysts with access to classified information.  The four-year study, known as the Good Judgment Project, adds to mounting evidence regarding the power of aggregating independent guesses of regular folks–or what is known as, “the wisdom of the crowd.”

When it comes to therapy, multiple scientific studies show that inviting the “wisdom of the crowd” into treatment as much as doubles effectiveness, while simultaneously cutting drop out and deterioration rates.

Whatever your profession, work setting, or preferred therapeutic approach, the process involves formally soliciting feedback from clients and then comparing the results to empirically established benchmarks.   Getting started is easy:

You can learn more at: www.whatispcoms.com.  Plus, the ICCE–the world’s largest online community of professionals using feedback to enhance clinical judgment–is available at no cost to support you in your efforts.

While you’re at it, be sure and join fellow practitioners from the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia for the “Training of Trainers” or two-day FIT Implementation Intensive coming up this August in Chicago.  You’ll not only learn how to use the measures, but also tap into the collective wisdom of clients and practitioners around the globe.   Space is limited, and we are filling up quickly, so don’t wait to register.