48 research outputs found

    Supervision in Community Mental Health: Understanding Intensity of EBT Focus.

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    The goal of the present study was to examine clinician, supervisor, and organizational factors that are associated with the intensity of evidence-based treatment (EBT) focus in workplace-based clinical supervision of a specific EBT, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Supervisors (n = 56) and clinicians (n = 207) from mental health organizations across Washington State completed online self-report questionnaires. Multilevel modeling (MLM) analyses were used to examine the relative influence of nested clinician and supervisor factors on the intensity of EBT focus in supervision. We found that 33% of the variance in clinician report of EBT supervision intensity clustered at the supervisor level and implementation climate was the only significant factor associated with EBT supervision intensity. While individual clinician and supervisor factors may play a role in EBT coverage in supervision, our results suggest that an implementation climate that supports EBT may be the most critical factor for improving intensity of EBT coverage. Thus, implementation efforts that address the extent to which EBTs are expected, rewarded, and supported within an organization may be needed to support greater coverage of EBT during workplace-based supervision

    Supervising EBT: What Content Do Workplace-Based Supervisors Cover and What Techniques Do They Use?

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    Workplace-based clinical supervision in public mental health is an underutilized resource for supporting evidence- based treatments (EBTs) [1], despite the fact that supervisors may offer a cost-effective way to support clinician fidelity to EBT. Very little, however, is known about the content and techniques used by workplace-based supervisors [2]; particularly in the context of EBT implementation [3]

    Objective Coding of Content and Techniques in Workplace-Based Supervision of an EBT in Public Mental Health

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    BACKGROUND: Workplace-based clinical supervision as an implementation strategy to support evidence-based treatment (EBT) in public mental health has received limited research attention. A commonly provided infrastructure support, it may offer a relatively cost-neutral implementation strategy for organizations. However, research has not objectively examined workplace-based supervision of EBT and specifically how it might differ from EBT supervision provided in efficacy and effectiveness trials. METHODS: Data come from a descriptive study of supervision in the context of a state-funded EBT implementation effort. Verbal interactions from audio recordings of 438 supervision sessions between 28 supervisors and 70 clinicians from 17 public mental health organizations (in 23 offices) were objectively coded for presence and intensity coverage of 29 supervision strategies (16 content and 13 technique items), duration, and temporal focus. Random effects mixed models estimated proportion of variance in content and techniques attributable to the supervisor and clinician levels. RESULTS: Interrater reliability among coders was excellent. EBT cases averaged 12.4 min of supervision per session. Intensity of coverage for EBT content varied, with some discussed frequently at medium or high intensity (exposure) and others infrequently discussed or discussed only at low intensity (behavior management; assigning/reviewing client homework). Other than fidelity assessment, supervision techniques common in treatment trials (e.g., reviewing actual practice, behavioral rehearsal) were used rarely or primarily at low intensity. In general, EBT content clustered more at the clinician level; different techniques clustered at either the clinician or supervisor level. CONCLUSIONS: Workplace-based clinical supervision may be a feasible implementation strategy for supporting EBT implementation, yet it differs from supervision in treatment trials. Time allotted per case is limited, compressing time for EBT coverage. Techniques that involve observation of clinician skills are rarely used. Workplace-based supervision content appears to be tailored to individual clinicians and driven to some degree by the individual supervisor. Our findings point to areas for intervention to enhance the potential of workplace-based supervision for implementation effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01800266 , Clinical Trials, Retrospectively Registered (for this descriptive study; registration prior to any intervention [part of phase II RCT, this manuscript is only phase I descriptive results])

    Implementation Climate and Time Predict Intensity of Supervision Content Related to Evidence Based Treatment

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    Objective: Children infrequently receive evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for mental health problems due to a science-to-practice implementation gap. Workplace-based clinical supervision, in which supervisors provide oversight, feedback, and training on clinical practice, may be a method to support EBT implementation. Our prior research suggests that the intensity of supervisory focus on EBT (i.e., thoroughness of coverage) during workplace-based supervision varies. This study explores predictors of supervisory EBT intensity.Methods: Participants were twenty-eight supervisors and 70 clinician supervisees. They completed a baseline survey, and audio recorded supervision sessions over 1 year. Four hundred and thirty eight recordings were coded for supervision content. We chose to explore predictors of two EBT content elements due to their strong evidence for effectiveness and sufficient variance to permit testing. These included a treatment technique (“exposure”) and a method to structure treatment (“assessment”). We also explored predictors of non-EBT content (“other topics”). Mixed-effects models explored predictors at organizational/supervisor, clinician, and session levels.Results: Positive implementation climate predicted greater intensity of EBT content coverage for assessment (coefficient = 0.82, p = 0.004) and exposure (coefficient = 0.87, p = 0.001). Intensity of exposure coverage was also predicted by more time spent discussing each case (coefficient = 0.04, p < 0.001). Predictors of greater non-EBT content coverage included longer duration of supervision sessions (coefficient = 0.05, p < 0.001) and lower levels of supervisor EBT knowledge (coefficient = −0.17, p = 0.013). No other supervisor- or clinician-level variables were significant predictors in the mixed effects models.Conclusion: This was the first study to explore multi-level predictors of objectively coded workplace-based supervision content. Results suggest that organizations that expect, support and reward EBT are more likely to have greater intensity of EBT supervision coverage, which in turn may positively impact clinician EBT fidelity and client outcomes. There was evidence that supervisor knowledge of the EBT contributes to greater coverage, although robust supervisor and clinician factors that drive supervision are yet to be identified. Findings highlight the potential effectiveness of implementation strategies that simultaneously address organizational implementation climate and supervisor practices. More research is needed to identify mechanisms that support integration of EBT into supervision

    Antigen-specific, antibody-coated, exosome-like nanovesicles deliver suppressor T-cell microRNA-150 to effector T cells to inhibit contact sensitivity

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    Background: T-cell tolerance of allergic cutaneous contact sensitivity (CS) induced in mice by high doses of reactive hapten is mediated by suppressor cells that release antigen-specific suppressive nanovesicles. Objective: We sought to determine the mechanism or mechanisms of immune suppression mediated by the nanovesicles. Methods: T-cell tolerance was induced by means of intravenous injection of hapten conjugated to self-antigens of syngeneic erythrocytes and subsequent contact immunization with the same hapten. Lymph node and spleen cells from tolerized or control donors were harvested and cultured to produce a supernatant containing suppressive nanovesicles that were isolated from the tolerized mice for testing in active and adoptive cell-transfer models of CS. Results: Tolerance was shown due to exosome-like nanovesicles in the supernatants of CD81 suppressor T cells that were not regulatory T cells. Antigen specificity of the suppressive nanovesicles was conferred by a surface coat of antibody light chains or possibly whole antibody, allowing targeted delivery of selected inhibitory microRNA (miRNA)–150 to CS effector T cells. Nanovesicles also inhibited CS in actively sensitized mice after systemic injection at the peak of the responses. The role of antibody and miRNA-150 was established by tolerizing either panimmunoglobulin-deficient JH2/2 or miRNA-1502/2 mice that produced nonsuppressive nanovesicles. These nanovesicles could be made suppressive by adding antigen-specific antibody light chains or miRNA-150, respectively. Conclusions: This is the first example of T-cell regulation through systemic transit of exosome-like nanovesicles delivering a chosen inhibitory miRNA to target effector T cells in an antigen-specific manner by a surface coating of antibody light chains
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