Benefits of competency-based treatment programs.

Competency-based treatment approaches are among a new wave of treatment interventions improving outcomes and the quality of life of people with serious mental illnesses. Moreover, by implementing these psychologically oriented, health-based alternatives, hospitals are accruing important benefits. Improvements in active treatment, risk management, and improved patient care underscore advantages for hospitals investing in these programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing behavioral objectives for perioperative staff development

Behavioral objectives (i.e., clear statements that describe intended instructional outcomes) are a crucial component of educational planning for perioperative staff development. Properly written objectives promote positive learning outcomes such as increased motivation, better retention of information, and improved instructional accountability. This article describes the advantages of using behavioral objectives, gives a historical perspective of their development, presents a practical how-to approach to formulating them, and delineates their link to the selection of appropriate evaluation methods.     

Developing a critical pathway for orientation

In an attempt to establish the etiologic role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in gastric and/or duodenal pathology, 169 patients were tested and compared with a control group of 25 healthy subjects, for a total of 194 subjects. Data on sex, age, familiarity, smoking, coffee and alcohol habits were collected and each patient underwent histological, microbiological and immunological tests. 80 (41.2%) subjects were found positive to H. pylori. This bacterium was detected in 53.3% of patients with gastric ulcer while IgG were found in 86.7%; in 50% of patients with chronic atrophic gastritis while IgG were detected in 80%; in 48.5% of patients with duodenal ulcer while IgG were found in 87.9%; in 41.8% of patients with superficial chronic gastritis while IgG were detected in 80.2%. In the control group of healthy patients H. pylori was found in 28% of patients while IgG were detected in 62.5%. The results do not confirm a direct clear-cut correlation between this microorganism and the pathologies studied.     

Developing quality assurance programs in radiation therapy for technologists

In every radiation therapy department, quality assurance procedures performed on treatment units are a necessary portion of the department's daily routine. Technologists, given the necessary information and instruction, can perform these procedures under the auspices of the medical physicist.     

A competency-based parent training program for child abusers.

Evaluated an intervention program for child abusers using multiple outcome criteria and extended follow-up. 16 families were given the Parent–Child Interaction Form and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory and were assigned to either treatment or control groups. All families were supervised by protective services, and none had requested help voluntarily. A treatment program involving group parent training in the clinic and competency-based training and rehearsal in the home was provided. Findings indicate that training abusive Ss in child-management and self-control techniques resulted in improvements in parenting skills as measured by home observations, parental reports of child-behavior problems, and caseworker reports of family problems. A 1-yr follow-up indicated that no incidences of child abuse among treatment families had been reported to or suspected by caseworkers. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A competency-based approach to couple and family therapy supervision.

The competency-based movement continues to guide professional psychology. This has been highlighted through the establishment of essential foundational and functional competencies. The current paper focuses on the intervention competency domain and delineates its relevance within the field of couple and family therapy (CFT). We begin by providing an overview of 8 essential components of CFT: developing a systemic formulation, forging a systemic therapeutic alliance, understanding family-of-origin issues, reframing, managing negative interactions, building cohesion/intimacy/communication, restructuring/parenting, and understanding and applying evidence-based CFT models. We then provide a brief illustration of foundational and functional competencies essential to CFT. We conclude by addressing the CFT competency within an integrative approach to supervision and provide a case illustration that depicts this process. The relevance of establishing unique, evidence-based, theory-specific competency components is highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consultant and client outcomes of competency-based behavioral consultation training.

One barrier to the systematic provision of consultation services in the schools may be the lack of applied training provided to preservice individuals in graduate preparation programs. A model of behavioral consultation training which extends previous competency-based progams is presented. Five doctoral students in school psychology were trained in behavioral consultation procedures using written manuals, videotape models, behavioral rehearsal, performance feedback, self-monitoring, and generalization training. Following university-based practice with trained consultees and student teachers, consultants were assigned consultation cases with teachers who presented actual cases. Behavioral consultation services were effective at remediating behavioral and academic difficulties in 4 of 5 target clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An evaluation of the effectiveness of competency-based code blue education

Two types of mock code programs were compared. The specific factors investigated were nurse satisfaction, comfort, and retention of knowledge and skills. A sample of 48 nurses initially participated in the mock code program, with 45 nurses participating in the 6-month follow-up evaluation. The study revealed that competency-based and group code blue programs resulted in similar levels of satisfaction, knowledge, and rate of performance of critical elements 6 months after the initial program.     

Competence in competency-based supervision practice: Construct and application.

Providing competent clinical supervision is challenging for the practitioner both in determining supervisee competencies and in conducting the corresponding supervision. Competence, an ethical principle that informs the practice of psychology, refers to requisite knowledge, skills, and values for effective performance. Similar to other health care professions, psychology is increasingly moving towards competency-based approaches in education, training, and performance appraisal. In this article, the authors review perspectives on competence as a construct and define competency-based clinical supervision, with particular attention to the nature of ethical, legal, contextual, and practice issues that arise from the establishment of a standard of competency-based supervision practice. The authors conclude with a discussion of challenges faced in clinical supervision and recommendations for best practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A protocol illustrating a competency-based approach to cognitive therapy.

Presents a competency-based approach (CBA) that divides treatment into 9 distinct stages. These are (1) orientation, (2) basic self-observation skills (SBSs), (3) intermediate SBSs, (4) advanced SBSs, (5) hypothesis formulation and intervention planning, (6) test hypothesis and active intervention, (7) test development and alternative strategies, (8) test alternative strategies, and (9) termination. Using a CBA, clients are not allowed to move to a more advanced treatment stage until all criteria of the less advanced stage are met. The CBA seeks to reframe therapy and depathologize the process by focusing on new learning rather than unlearning. The CBA facilitates the formation of a collaborative therapeutic relationship and enhances clients' confidence in the therapeutic process and their own ability to learn. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training school psychologists: The issue of competency-based education.

Discusses the trend toward including competency standards in certification and the subsequent increase in competency-based education in school psychology. The history of competency-based education is examined, particularly in light of criticisms about university training programs, and the advantages and disadvantages of competency-based preparation in school psychology are discussed. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preliminary support for a competency-based model of depression in children.

The relation of child depression to competency feedback was explored in 5 domains: academic, social, physical attractiveness, conduct, and sports. Self-reports of depression and peer nomination of competency were obtained from 1,422 elementary school children. Findings supported 4 hypotheses from a competency-based model of child depression. Peer nominations of competency in various domains were negatively related to depression. Being nominated as relatively incompetent in multiple domains corresponded with higher levels of self-reported depression. Being nominated as competent in one or more domains corresponded with lower levels of depression. Individual differences in incompetency were more strongly related to depression than were those in competency, especially for girls. Early intervention in child depression is discussed. Longitudinal and experimental designs are recommended for testing further the competency-based model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A perioperative practicum

Complex rehabilitation of 20 patients with congenital and acquired maxillofacial deformations included psychological examinations using the finish-the-sentence test, Taylor's, Eysenck's [correction of Isenk's], Leonhard-Smisek, and Dembo-Rubinstein tests. Depressive states were detected in 4, neurotic reactions with depressive incorporations in 16 examinees. After surgery the manifestations of depression decreased in 60% of patients. Psychological studies helped improve the efficacy of surgery due to a favorable impact on the personality.     

Psychotherapy-based supervision models in an emerging competency-based era: A commentary.

As psychology engages in a cultural shift to competency-based education and training supervision practice is being transformed to the use of competency frames and the application of benchmark competencies. In this issue, psychotherapy-based models of supervision are conceptualized in a competency framework. This paper reflects on the translation of key components of each psychotherapy-based supervision approach in terms of foundational and functional competencies articulated in the Competencies Benchmarks (Fouad et al., 2009). The commentary concludes with a discussion of implications for supervision practice and identifies directions for future articulation and development, including evidence-based psychotherapy supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training behavioral consultants: A competency-based model to teach interview skills.

Developed a training package to teach consultation interview skills in 3 phases of behavioral consultation: (a) problem identification, (b) problem analysis, and (c) treatment evaluation. In Exp 1, 4 graduate students were exposed to a training manual and viewed videotape interview models. In Exp 2 with 3 graduate students, the videotapes were not used, but all other components remained intact. Exp 3 used the training manual to teach the skills to 2 practicing school psychologists, who then used the interview guidelines and format presented in the manual in an actual case in their schools. Results indicate that training specific consultation skills can be achieved successfully using standardized training procedures and formal interview guides. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Core competency-based education, certification, and practice: the nurse-midwifery model

It has been more than 70 years since the first nurse-midwives came to practice in the United States, and over 20 years since the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) established nationally recognized standards and core competencies for nurse-midwifery education, certification, and practice. Certified nurse-midwives are licensed in all 50 states and in the District of Columbia (DC) and have prescribing privileges in 45 states plus DC. More recent standard-setting activities include the establishment of a national mechanism for continuing competency assessment; adoption of the bachelor's degree as the minimum academic requirement for certification; development of national standards for education and certification of direct entry midwives; and placement of an 8-year time limit on certificates.     

Training school psychologists: Some perspectives on a competency-based behavioral consultation model.

A behavioral consultation training model is presented that articulates training competency and service goals in school psychology. The model promotes evaluation of the competencies of school psychologists and their impact on the settings in which consultation services are provided. It also focuses on learning and adjustment problems in the socialization process and works on specific target behaviors. Problem-solving strategies are developed in 4 stages: (a) problem identification, (b) problem analysis, (c) intervention, and (d) evaluation. Difficulties encountered in implementing the model are discussed. (60 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)