Multidisciplinary cognitive-behavioral therapy training for the veterans affairs primary care setting

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Services Research
• Primary Care Psychology
• Evidence-Based Practice Implementation

Background:

• Integrating evidence-based psychotherapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) into primary care is crucial.
• Limited research exists on CBT training procedures and their impact specifically within primary care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a focused CBT training program.
• To evaluate training for diverse primary care mental health providers in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Main Methods:

• An intensive 1½-day CBT workshop was delivered to 28 mental health clinicians.
• Training included didactic presentations, expert modeling, role-playing, and 12 weeks of biweekly telephone consultations.
• Self-reported CBT knowledge, ability, and utilization were measured pre-workshop, post-workshop, and at 3-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Participant self-reported CBT knowledge significantly improved post-workshop and was maintained at 3-month follow-up (P < .01, ES = 0.49).
• Self-reported abilities in CBT also showed improvement (P = .07, ES = 0.40).
• The multimodal training approach appeared to enhance the program's effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Focused and intensive CBT training is feasible for multidisciplinary mental health practitioners in primary care.
• Despite existing challenges, this training model shows promise for enhancing primary care mental health services.