Enhanced Web Training for Community Based Counselors: TEACH-CBT

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Community practitioners have few opportunities to be trained in efficacious therapies that assist persons with alcohol and drug disorders such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and are unfamiliar with the value of employing science-based approaches. Phase I funding is requested to develop a commercial training product for substance abuse counselors on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The SBIR training product will include enhanced training materials comprised of expert-based, interactive, clinical case scenarios (ECS). Phase I will develop and evaluate the ECS content and technology for one educational content module as a prototype. The full commercial product will contain an enhanced ECS for each of seven educational content modules on CBT. The goal of enhanced training is to further the participant's conceptual understanding and strategic approach to analyzing client situations and implementing CBT in sessions over what is accomplished in a Web course alone. The Expert-based clinical Case Scenarios (ECS) will accomplish three things: 1) the participant can practice the assessment of a client situation and statements; 2) the participant can develop problem- solving strategies, in part because complex case scenarios are broken into smaller pieces; and 3) the participant can receive immediate feedback so that his or her therapy approach can be refined. ECS development for this prototype module will involve several steps: distilling the essence of the new participant skills, writing scripts of effective CBT delivery, writing scripts of common CBT delivery mistakes, hiring authentic talent to portray addiction counselor and client with drug abuse disorder, digital video and audio production, editing and compression, Web programming to incorporate ECS prototype into updated commercial prototype module. Phase I will be evaluated in a study of 52 counselors (60 recruited; 87% response rate) randomized to the Intervention (educational Web module and ECS enhancement) or Control (educational Web module alone). Phase I success will be judged by comparing Intervention and Control participant reports on feasibility measures (course appeal and satisfaction, ways to improve the training), attitudes and intent to use CBT skills taught, and gain in CBT knowledge. We will also pilot test Phase II effectiveness measures of CBT application to case scenarios.