Training for Treatment of Adolescent Depression

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of the proposed project is to complete the development of an interactive computer- based program designed to act as a cost-effective adjunct to an existing written treatment manual to help train mental health clinicians in delivering an established cognitive-behavioral program for the treatment of adolescent depression. We recently completed Phase I of this project (R41 MH070982; Training for Treatment of Adolescent Depression [TTAD\), in which we developed and evaluated the prototype of a computer-based program designed to train clinicians in delivering the Adolescent Coping With Depression (CWD-A; Clarke et al., 1990) course in a group setting. The TTAD Phase I prototype program presented three of nine core CWD-A course elements. In an evaluation with 40 mental health clinicians, consumer satisfaction was extremely positive and significant improvements occurred in course-related knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions to use therapy components presented in the program. Based on the promising results of Phase I, we would now like to conduct Phase II of our project. Specific Aims for Phase II are: (1) Create a complete computer-based training program for mental health clinicians that includes the six remaining course skills and incorporates feedback received in the Phase I formative evaluation. In addition, we will develop program modules that address the specific needs of the additional populations or settings (e.g., use in schools, juvenile corrections). (2) Create a companion Web site for the program which offers on-line registration for continuing education (CE) credit, self tests, access to current research, and FAQ (frequently asked questions) content provided by a CWD-A expert. (3) Conduct a randomized controlled trial with 128 Master's-level clinicians, recruited from Oregon and New Mexico, to evaluate the incremental value of using the enhanced computer-based program plus the CWD-A manual versus using the written manual alone during a one-week program evaluation period. Outcomes will include pre-post and between group changes in attitudes, knowledge, intent to use, and consumer satisfaction. (4) Develop a final version of the computer-based training program for marketability. Relevance. Adolescent depression is a significant public health problem. Although effective treatments for adolescent depression have been created and evaluated in research settings, they are seldom adopted in clinical practice. The proposed development of a computer-based interactive program designed to train mental health providers in the use of an empirically-supported treatment for depressed teenagers will provide a standardized and high-quality training that is delivered in a cost-effective and accessible manner. The proposed program will fulfill a critical need because no formalizing training procedure (written, conference-based, or computer-based) for the CWD-A intervention currently exists.