I love to read. Sure, I enjoy learning; but, there are just so many smart, thoughtful, funny, and witty people out there who find ways to say things better than I could ever imagine. Early in my career, I found myself bringing in quotes from my reading to share with my patients - these little nuggets of goodness that made me think of them or a situation we were talking about.
There have been several points in my career where I was the sole (or sole pediatric) provider in a particular area. I remember those periods with a mixture of emotions: gratitude for the opportunity to serve those in need coupled with concern that I lacked geographically close colleagues or referral options for my patients. Consultation with colleagues (usually far away) was a lifeline and a way to ensure I offered the best evidence-based care I could, especially when patients were on long waitlists for referrals to other specialists who needed to be involved in their care. Nonetheless, at times I felt like I was operating within the echo chamber of my mind (pun intended).
It’s hard to believe that we have officially wrapped up our fourth season of Practical for Your Practice and I have to admit, this season feels a little extra special because it reinforced (over and over again) how NOT alone I am when it comes to the art of being a perfectly imperfect EBP provider. In eleven episodes and across topics from insomnia treatment, to Written Exposure Therapy, to implementing Unified Protocol groups, to suicide postvention, our brave guests met the vulnerability challenge and offered up their tales of imperfection and how they recovered from clinical missteps. And maybe even more important, how they grew as a provider by facing the tough situations that didn’t go by the book… or manual as it were.
Listen to the full episode here: EBP Confessionals Part 2 - Listeners Confessions.
Military children experience unique psychological needs due to the challenges associated with their parent's service. While some challenges are universal (peer pressure, academic performance, family stressors), some challenges are unique to military families.
Even die-hard proponents of evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) such as myself acknowledge that it comes with challenges. Of course, there are some patients who are uninterested in EBPs for a variety of reasons. But even motivated and engaged patients don’t always complete treatment or gain significant benefit. Research has long focused on how we can improve outcomes and completion rates for “non responders” and “dropouts.”