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Group Role Play

The Over-60 program has been training clinicians and paraprofessionals in safety net clinics, skilled nursing and residential care programs, day programs, and community mental health settings for over 15 years. Our model of training is based in state of the art adult learning theories and incorporates didactics, simulated case practice to develop basic skills, skill assessment with actual cases, and finally technical assistance for on-going implementation of PST. We recently have added six and one year assessment of skill maintenance to our model for organizations that are concerned with potential clinician drift in PST skill.

 

PST Training and Technical Assistance Components

Terms:

  • TTT = Train the trainer
  • PST = problem solving treatment
  • TA = technical assistance
  • SPC = simulated practice case

 

Technical Assistance Vetting Clinicians and Trainers (optional but recommended)

High quality trainers and educators possess unique skills that cannot be trained in a short period of time. Typical qualities we look for in trainers include candidate experience in providing supervision, candidate educational philosophy, and willingness to use innovative teaching techniques.

Likewise, clinicians who are most likely to learn and implement new interventions and innovations in care also possess qualities such as a desire to learn and try new things, an appreciation of research based information, and willingness to receive outside consultation while acquiring new skills. We therefore offer our clients technical assistance in identifying strong candidate trainers and clinicians.

We first meet with the project lead to help identify potential candidate trainers and clinicians. Candidate trainers and clinicians will complete a brief questionnaire and will meet with an expert individually for a 30-minute interview.

If an organization wishes to engage in the train-the-trainer program, candidate trainers will be selected first, so that they can participate in the interviews with the candidate clinicians (this is part of the TTT training). Results of the questionnaire and interview will be shared with the project lead and the training program tailored to candidate strengths and needs.

 

Consultation with Clinic/Program Leaders (optional but recommended)

A PST expert will meet by phone once a week with the project lead to coordinate TTT and clinician trainings. The expert will also meet in person with the project lead once a month, or more if needed to review candidate trainer and clinician progress in certification, and to trouble shoot any problems that are arising from the training.

 

PST Workshop (required)

Clinicians can either participate in a web-based workshop on PST through the IMPACT website (www.impact-uw.org) or they can participate in a one-day face-to-face workshop of PST. The workshop consists of the following:

Clinicians will participate in an 8-hour workshop to introduce PST concepts, demonstrate PST sessions, and being case-based practice in PST skills. The workshop will be co-led by the candidate trainers in programs that elect to engage in the TTT program and one expert trainer. Below are the specific components of the workshop.

  • Overview of PST components and therapeutic frame;
  • Video demonstration of PST;
  • Adapting PST to special populations;
  • Question and Answer sessions;
  • Each clinician will have an opportunity to practice a PST session.
  • Explanation and preparation of the case-based training component and audiotape review.

 

Simulated Practice Cases (required)

Clinicians will have the opportunity to practice their new PST skills on simulated cases. This opportunity allows clinicians the chance to make mistakes, receive helpful and timely feedback, and increase their own self-efficacy with PST before using PST with actual patients.

Simulated case role-play will represent cases of varying degrees of challenge. The sessions will focus on the following cases and content:

  • Session #1: Introductory PST session
  • Session #2: Middle PST session: Problem is someone else; problem is depression
  • Session #3:  Middle PST session: Co-occurring SUD; co-occurring PTSD
  • Session #4:  Middle PST session: Patient in crisis; Chronic pain
  • Session #5:  Middle PST session: Asian and Latino patients
  • Session #6:  Middle PST session: Cognitive impairment; Severe Anxiety
  • Session #7:  Final PST session: Patient improves; Patient not improved
  • Session #8:  Final PST session: Patient improves; Patient not improved

Please Note: Simulated cases can be adapted for your clinic population. Just ask!

 

Audiotape Review (currently required for full certification)

Although simulated case review is an effective method for improving clinician skill, clinicians often still need guidance on the application of PST to actual cases. We still require clinicians to provide us with three (3) samples of their use of PST with actual cases.

For more information about our FTP site, click here: Security Information on the Secure FTP site.pdf

 

PST Training Format for 1 to 10 Clinicians.pdf

 

PST Training for Large Groups of Clinicians.pdf