Measuring practitioner attitudes toward psychosis and recovery: Exploratory factor analysis of the Psychosis Attitudes Scale.

OBJECTIVE: Practitioner attitudes regarding the nature of psychosis and prospects of recovery are important targets in supervision and training of practitioners who work therapeutically with this population. The 19-item Psychosis Attitudes Scale (PAS) was developed as a way to monitor changes in psychosis-related attitudes among practitioners being trained in an Evidence Based Treatment (EBT) for psychosis. This study reports the development and underlying factor structure of the PAS. METHOD: Three hundred twenty-five community mental health clinicians completed the PAS following a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) multiday workshop training. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis to investigate the underlying structure of the initial set of items. RESULTS: Our analyses suggest that the PAS taps into four attitude groupings, which can be conceptualized as perceived confidence in working with individuals with psychosis (Factor 1), a recovery orientation (Factor 2), expectations of fulfillment (Factor 3), and a stress-vulnerability orientation (Factor 4). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Factors 1 and 3 appear to tap into general themes relevant to training practitioners in an evidence-based psychotherapeutic intervention for psychosis. Factors 2 and 4 are consistent with guiding principles of high-fidelity CBTp. At the individual level, practitioner attitudes have implications for training retention and treatment delivery. At the organizational level, the collective attitudes of staff in a given setting may serve as an indicator of readiness for EBT for psychosis implementation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Do Attitudes Matter? Evaluating the Influence of Training in CBT-p-Informed Strategies on Attitudes About Working with People Who Experience Psychosis.

Attitudes of mental health providers are an important consideration in training and delivering evidence-based practices. Treatment approaches for individuals who experience schizophrenia consistently endorse the importance of a recovery perspective. At the same time, a review of the literature suggests that the attitudes of many providers and many policies of community health care settings serving individuals who experience schizophrenia, may not align with the recovery perspective. This brief report provides a summary of the program evaluation outcomes of a wide range of mental health providers who participated in a 2-day intensive training to learn strategies informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-p). This intensive training emphasizes engagement strategies and person-centered approaches inherent in the recovery perspective. Consistent with the aims of the training, participants' attitudes about working with people who experience psychosis appeared to be positively influenced by training.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-p) Delivered in a Community Mental Health Setting: A Case Comparison of Clients Receiving CBT Informed Strategies by Case Managers Prior to Therapy.

This exploratory case comparison examines the influence of case management activities on engagement and progress in psychotherapy for clients with schizophrenia. Six clients were recruited to participate in ten sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBT-p). Three clients who had received Cognitive Behavioral techniques for psychosis (CBt-p, a low-intensity case management intervention) prior to receiving therapy were selected from referrals. A comparison group of three clients who had received standard case management services was selected from referrals. Cases within and across groups were compared on outcome measures and observations from case review were offered to inform future research. Delivering CBT-p services on a continuum from low- to high-intensity is discussed.

Adapting cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis for case managers: increasing access to services in a community mental health agency.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to describe the adaptation of an evidence-based practice and, (b) using a dissemination framework, to describe the process of implementing the practice at a community mental health agency. METHOD: The authors describe the training concept and dissemination framework of implementing an emerging practice: high-yield cognitive behavioral techniques for psychosis, which is rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy. RESULTS: Thirteen case managers who represented teams from across the agency delivered the adapted practice at a community mental health agency. Implementation required buy in from all stakeholders, communication across disciplines, persistence, and flexibility. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: It appears that the use of a dissemination framework that is grounded in the literature, yet flexible, eases the process of implementing an adapted practice. Further research focusing on the effectiveness of this approach, along with the impact of implementing a full spectrum of cognitive behavioral therapy services for individuals with persistent psychotic symptoms, based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles, is indicated.

Clinical process examples of cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis.

Interest in the practice of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for persistent psychotic symptoms (CBT-p) has increased dramatically in the last decade. Despite the widespread interest, it remains challenging to obtain adequate training in this approach in the United States. This article provides a few hypothetical examples of the types of interventions commonly used in CBT-p. We provide information about the theoretical basis for the techniques and related research support. We also provide references that offer more detailed discussion of the theory and application of the techniques.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis in clinical practice.

Across two continents, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-P) has been endorsed as an adjunctive treatment for individuals who experience persistent positive symptoms of schizophrenia. The moderate effect sizes reported in early studies and reviews were followed by better controlled studies indicating more limited effect sizes. This article provides a review of the literature that addresses the effectiveness of CBT-P, including particular areas of emphasis and practice elements associated with this approach. In addition, because the majority of research on CBT-P has been performed in the United Kingdom, implications for implementation and sustainability of this practice in the United States are presented.

Insight into illness and attitudes toward medications among inpatients with schizophrenia.

This study assessed symptoms, severity of illness functional level, insight into illness, and attitudes toward medication in a sample of psychiatric patients who were newly admitted to a state hospital. The patients were evaluated before and after treatment with atypical, conventional, or mixed (atypical plus conventional) antipsychotic medication regimens with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Clinical Global Impression, the Global Assessment of Functioning, the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder, and the Drug Attitude Inventory. Overall, the patients showed significant improvement in symptoms, severity of illness, functional level, and insight into their illness during the course of hospitalization. Their attitudes toward medications changed minimally during treatment. Only the patients who were treated with conventional antipsychotics showed significant improvement in their attitudes toward medication. However, the change was not large enough to differentiate the conventional antipsychotic treatment group from the other treatment groups.