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Although researchers have identified many promising teaching strategies and intervention programs for children with autism spectrum disorder, research on implementation of these interventions in school settings has lagged. Barriers to implementation include incompletely developed interventions, limited evidence of their utility in promoting long-term and meaningful change, and poor fit with school environments. To overcome these barriers, interventions need to be detailed in manuals that identify key components yet allow for flexibility, and studies need to evaluate long-term, real-life outcomes. Innovative research strategies also may be important, particularly carrying out research on new interventions in school settings from the outset, conducting partial effectiveness trials in which study personnel administer interventions in school settings, using community-partnered participatory research approaches, and redesigning interventions in a modular format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although applied behavior analysts often say they engage in evidence-based practice, they express differing views on what constitutes ''evidence'' and ''practice.'' This article describes a practice as a service offered by a provider to help solve a problem presented by a consumer. Solving most problems (e.g., increasing or decreasing a behavior and maintaining this change) requires multiple intervention procedures (i.e., a package). Single-subject studies are invaluable in investigating individual procedures, but researchers still need to integrate the procedures into a package. The package must be standardized enough for independent providers to replicate yet flexible enough to allow individualization; intervention manuals are the primary technology for achieving this balance. To test whether the package is effective in solving consumers' problems, researchers must evaluate outcomes of the package as a whole, usually in group studies such as randomized controlled trials. From this perspective, establishing an evidence-based practice involves more than analyzing the effects of discrete intervention procedures on behavior; it requires synthesizing information so as to offer thorough solutions to problems. Recognizing the need for synthesis offers behavior analysts many promising opportunities to build on their existing research to increase the quality and quantity of evidence-based practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of two social skills interventions, Sociodramatic Affective Relational Intervention (SDARI) and Skillstreaming, to compare their treatment mechanisms, social performance- and knowledge-training. A total of 13 youth with autism spectrum disorders were randomly assigned to 4 weeks of 1-day/week SDARI or Skillstreaming. Groups were matched on parent and child demographics, and intervention staff training. Participants were assessed on social behavior during treatment sessions, peer sociometrics, staff-reported social skills, and parent-reported social skill generalization. Results indicated that both groups increased in reciprocated friendship nominations and staff-reported social skills. Relative to Skillstreaming participants, SDARI participants liked and interacted more with each other after a single session. However, Skillstreaming participants increased in peer liking and interaction over the course of the intervention; SDARI participants decreased slightly. Parents reported no change in social functioning at home. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Stimulated by findings that continuous feedback on client progress improves therapy outcomes (Lambert, Whipple, & Smart, 2001a, Patient-focused research: Using patient outcome data to enhance treatment effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 159–172) and by arguments that any instrument taking more than 5 min to implement is impractical, this study was a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of session-by-session progress feedback using the ultra-brief Outcome Rating Scale. Method: A between-subjects design was used. Participants (n = 110) were randomly assigned ‘feedback’ or ‘no feedback’ status, and attended one of eight therapists in a university counselling service. Results: The results showed that there was not a significant difference between the feedback and no-feedback conditions. Both conditions improved therapeutically; however, the feedback condition had a greater effect size (0.85 vs. 0.64), suggesting that with a larger sample statistical significance may have been attained. Between the two conditions there was not a significant difference found in participants classified as reliably changed, unchanged, or deteriorated. However, when the clients were divided into groups on the basis of their presenting issue, the clients with anxiety whose therapists used feedback had significantly better outcomes at the end of therapy than the clients whose therapists did not receive the feedback. Conclusion: Contrary to previous studies, the feedback on the client's progression provided to the therapist had only a small effect on improving therapy outcome. The feedback, however, improved outcomes of the clients presenting with anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: Smokers who are not ready to quit are a very difficult group to treat. Physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners are in a unique position to encourage patients to quit smoking. However, the best approach to do so is not clear. Methods: A two-group randomized controlled trial with 218 pack-a-day precontemplative and contemplative smokers recruited from the community. The laboratory-based study was designed to simulate outpatient visits to general practitioners. Participants were randomized to a 15-min intervention to compare the effectiveness of brief motivational or prescriptive counseling by a health professional. Thirteen outcome variables included intentions to quit and verbal reports at 1 and 6 months with biological verification. A composite outcome measure was constructed to provide greater power to detect study differences. Results: Approximately 33% of the sample reported at least one 24-h quit period during the 6 months they were followed after the trial. Results suggest that while neither treatment was superior, there were subgroup differences. Participants in the motivational condition were also more likely to respond to follow-up calls. Conclusions and practice implications: Motivational interviewing and prescriptive advice were equally effective for precontemplative and contemplative smokers. Practitioners should use the method that appeals to them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose - Despite older adult community mental health team (CMHT) workers inevitably encountering service users with alcohol use disorders (AUDs), they have a limited evidence base for working with this group. This paper aims to argue against a wholesale transfer of knowledge and practices from working age adults with dual diagnosis to the older age group.Design/methodology/approach - The paper aims to address the scant attention given to the needs of older service users with a dual diagnosis by detailing the progress of four older adult service users with AUDs in a CMHT.Findings - This case study series illuminates some of the clinical and professional dilemmas and challenges encountered when working with this group. Suggestions of how to respond to some of these challenges are provided by focussing on aspects of identification, assessment and treatment.Originality/value - This paper provides a catalyst to further discussion, debate and publications on the issue of older people misusing alcohol by presenting and reflecting on the issues raised by four practice vignettes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effectiveness of a novel intervention called ‘socio-dramatic affective-relational intervention’ (SDARI), intended to improve social skills among adolescents with Asperger syndrome and high functioning autism diagnoses. SDARI adapts dramatic training activities to focus on in vivo practice of areas of social skill deficit among this population. SDARI was administered as a six-week summer program in a community human service agency. Nine SDARI participants and eight age- and diagnosis-group matched adolescents not receiving SDARI were compared on child- and parent-report of social functioning at three week intervals beginning six weeks prior to intervention and ending six weeks post-intervention. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to estimate growth trends between groups to assess treatment outcomes and post-treatment maintenance. Results indicated significant improvement and post-treatment maintenance among SDARI participants on several measures of child social functioning. Implications for practice and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable evidence has demonstrated that the beliefs of researchers can inadvertently influence research findings. The possibility of this type of bias is of special concern in studies evaluating the outcome of psychotherapy, where investigators frequently have marked allegiances to particular therapies and these allegiances have been found to correlate substantially with the pattern of results. In this article we discuss the evidence concerning investigator allegiance in psychotherapy research, emphasize the need to distinguish between this factor as a potential confound and a proved causal effect, and outline strategies that have been suggested for researchers to minimize the potential for bias both when designing future research and drawing conclusions from existing evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of literature suggests that computerized cognitive-behavioral therapies (CCBT) are effective in community settings in terms of symptom reduction, favorable client satisfaction, attrition comparable to standard cognitive-behavioral therapy, reduced clinician time, high cost-effectiveness, and ease of integration into community clinics. Clinicians report lack of knowledge about computerized programs as the main reason that they have not used CCBT in their practice. To mitigate this disconnect between empirical evidence and dissemination, this article first reviews empirical studies focusing on the efficacy of CCBT for specific psychological disorders, followed by a review of research on the effectiveness of CCBT in community settings. Next, issues related to dissemination and barriers to CCBT adoption by clinicians are discussed. Finally, the implications of CCBT for research and practice and the possible role of CCBT in a stepped care model of treatment is discussed in terms of cost-effectiveness, standards of care, and implications for public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Virtual reality (VR) has garnered the interest of many scientific communities over the last decade. One promising track of research lies in VR exposure therapy (VRET), where gradual exposure to a negative stimulus is used to reduce anxiety. Virtual exposure is desirable in many situations, as it can be less intimidating and less expensive than traditional in vivo treatment with much the same success. Examining the benefits and drawbacks of VRET is an important first step toward an accurate assessment of its viability as a treatment alternative. This paper will review current literature on the topic of VRET and answer several questions regarding the viability of the treatment. It will also provide some additional research direction for improving the case for mainstreaming VRET. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Forever Free is an in-prison, residential substance abuse treatment program employing a cognitive-behavioral curriculum designed for women. To assess this treatment model 215 study volunteers in prison were recruited (119 treatment, 96 comparison); a 1-year follow-up was completed with 180 women (101 treatment, 79 comparison). Recidivism, drug use, and employment were examined. Bivariate analyses showed that treated women had significantly fewer arrests, less drug use, and greater employment. Cox regression analysis of time to reincarceration revealed that those with more lifetime arrests had a significantly increased risk of reincarceration; treatment group members and older subjects showed a trend toward decreased risk. Logistic regression analysis showed that treatment group membership and greater age predicted a lowered likelihood of drug use; heroin as the primary drug predicted a greater likelihood of use; and increased days in postrelease treatment and higher levels of education predicted employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined outcomes of prison-based treatment programs over a 5-year observation period. The present analysis was based on a sample of 715 prisoners randomly assigned either to the Amity therapeutic community program or to a no-treatment group. At 5-years postrelease, 90% of the original participants were located and 81% were interviewed. The main findings were based on a conservative intent-to-treat approach. On measures of recidivism, the Amity treatment group had significantly lower rates of reincarceration than the control group, but in multivariate analysis of time to first reincarceration, this main treatment effect disappeared and other factors (age and postrelease treatment) became significant predictors of delayed time to reincarceration. As in previous reports on this cohort, those who attended aftercare had lower levels of reincarceration, longer time to reincarceration, and higher levels of employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bereavement due to cancer increases the risk of prolonged grief disorder. However, specialized treatment options for prolonged grief after a loss due to illness are still scarce., Objective: The aim of this study is to extend previous findings by evaluating a web-based cognitive behavioral intervention with asynchronous therapist support, consisting of structured writing tasks adapted specifically for prolonged grief after cancer bereavement., Methods: The intervention was evaluated in a purely web-based randomized waitlist-controlled trial. Open-access recruitment of participants was conducted on the web. Prolonged grief (Inventory of Complicated Grief), depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, posttraumatic growth, somatization, sleep quality, and mental and physical health were assessed on the web via validated self-report measures., Results: A total of 87 participants were randomized into the intervention group (IG; 44/87, 51%) or the waitlist control group (43/87, 49%). Of the participants, 7% (6/87) dropped out of the study (5/44, 11%, in the IG). Of the 39 completers in the IG, 37 (95%) completed all intervention tasks. The intervention reduced symptoms of prolonged grief (intention-to-treat: P<.001; η 2 =0.34; Cohen d=0.80) to a clinically significant extent. It had favorable effects on depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, posttraumatic growth, and overall mental health but not on somatization, sleep quality, or physical health., Conclusions: The web-based intervention for prolonged grief after cancer bereavement is effective in reducing symptoms of prolonged grief disorder and accompanying syndromes in a timely, easily realizable manner and addresses specific challenges of bereavement to illness. Considering web-based approaches in future mental health care policy and practice can reduce health care gaps for those who are bereaved to cancer., Trial Registration: German Clinical Trial Register U1111-1186-6255; https://www.drks.de/drks&#95;web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL&#95;ID=DRKS00011001., (©Julia Kaiser, Michaela Nagl, Rahel Hoffmann, Katja Linde, Anette Kersting. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (https://mental.jmir.org), 08.02.2022.)

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