Child and Family Therapy Process: Concordance of Therapist and Observational Perspectives

The objective of this study is to examine the characteristics of outpatient mental health services delivered in community-based outpatient clinics, comparing information obtained from two different sources, therapists serving children and families, and observational coders viewing tapes of the same treatment sessions. Videotaped therapy sessions were rated by therapists and independent coders regarding goals and strategies pursued during each session. Sixty-three sessions were taped of outpatient care provided to 18 children and their caregivers by 11 therapists. Children were 4–13 years old and families were receiving services at least in part due to reported child behavior problems, confirmed by ratings from the Child Behavior Checklist and Conners Parent Rating Scale—Revised. Analyses assessed the frequency, type, and intensity of goals and strategies pursued in therapy sessions from both therapist and observational coders’ perspectives. Reliability of observer ratings and correspondence between therapist and observer reports were also examined. The reliability of observational coding of goals and strategies was moderate to good, with 76% of 39 codes having ICCs of .5 or greater. Therapists reported pursuing 2.5 times more goals and strategies per session, on average, than identified by observational coders. Correspondence between therapists and coders about the occurrence of specific goals and strategies in treatment sessions was low, with 20.5% of codes having a Kappa of .4 or higher. Substantial differences exist in what therapists and independent coders report as occurring in outpatient treatment sessions. Both perspectives suggest major differences between the content of services provided in community-based outpatient clinics and the structure of evidence-based programs, which emphasize intense pursuit of a small number of goals and strategies in each treatment session. Implications of the findings for quality improvement efforts in community-based mental health care settings are discussed

Feasibility of using a lignin-containing waste in asphalt binders

"Published online: 30 January 2019"A lot of water waste streams are produced during the production of hardboard panels. This paper analyses the feasibility of using a lignin-containing waste from the hardboard industry in asphalt binders. It would contribute to both waste reduction and decrease of the consumption of asphalt in order to obtain environmental, economic and social benefits. The waste from the hardboard industry was not subjected to any transformation i.e. it was blended directly with the conventional asphalt. Asphalt binder samples blended with 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40% of the waste were aged in a rolling thin-film oven apparatus. Basic characterisation (penetration grade, ring and ball softening point and resilience) as well as advanced characterisation (dynamic viscosity, shear complex modulus and phase angle) were performed. Asphalt binders blended with up to 20% waste can be stored, pumped and handled at hot-mix asphalt facilities. Addition of the waste to asphalt binder increases the viscosity and the shear complex modulus and reduces the phase angle. The waste produces asphalt binders with higher storage modulus and lower loss tangent. The waste enhances fatigue and rutting resistance. Asphalt binder with 20% of waste displays the best potential for use as an extender and as well as an enhancer in asphalt pavements. The research results can offer technical support to value this waste from hardboard production, without the need for subsequent transformations.(undefined

Reliability of Therapist Self-Report on Treatment Targets and Focus in Family-Based Intervention

Reliable therapist-report methods appear to be an essential component of quality assurance procedures to support adoption of evidence-based practices in usual care, but studies have found weak correspondence between therapist and observer ratings of treatment techniques. This study examined therapist reliability and accuracy in rating intervention target (i.e., session participants) and focus (i.e., session content) in a manual-guided, family-based preventive intervention implemented with 50 inner-city adolescents at risk for substance use. A total of 106 sessions selected from three phases of treatment were rated via post-session self-report by the participating therapist and also via videotape by nonparticipant coders. Both groups estimated the amount of session time devoted to model-prescribed treatment targets (adolescent, parent, conjoint) and foci (family, school, peer, prosocial, drugs). Therapists demonstrated excellent reliability with coders for treatment targets and moderate to high reliability for treatment foci across the sample and within each phase. Also, therapists did not consistently overestimate their degree of activity with targets or foci. Implications of study findings for fidelity assessment in routine settings are discussed