POST CERTIFICATION ADHERENCE SUPERVISION/MONITORING PROGRAM

FTTIM recommends an Adherence Program that combines alternating Monitoring and Supervision sessions.  However, an agency may elect to receive all sessions as Adherence Supervision for a more rigorous review of their performance. 

An Adherence program is conducted for the first three years following certification in Brief Strategic Family Therapy. Agencies and clinicians providing BSFT to clients must adhere to the treatment model in order to assure fidelity, and thus, successful outcome.  In general, reasearch on EBP implementation (including BSFT) indicates that, without a monitoring program, adherence is particularly difficult during the first 3 years.

Agencies and/or clinicians send our Institute their tapes/DVDs for review.  In the process of review, clinician's performance is rated using the Certification Rating Checklist that was developed in the course of model development and has been used in the research studies. Our Institute's adherence monitors will look for mastery in the four BSFT domains. The domains include BSFT behavioral (treatment) skills and BSFT conceptual skills (case formulation and change formulation skills). Adherence to the BSFT model is defined as maintaining a score of at least 3.8 on each of the four BSFT domains and demonstrating mastery of the skills within each domain (i.e. no item ratings of fair, unsatisfactory, or poor). 

A monthly report on the scale scores and review findings---and any deficiencies noted---is submitted to the agency and clinician.  Specific recommendations are given if recalibration or remediation is needed.

MONTHLY ADHERENCE MONITORING  The above process of review, rating, and reporting back to the agency takes 1 1/2 hours.

MONTHLY ADHERENCE SUPERVISION   This Adherence process which often alternates with Adherence Monitoring, goes a step beyond Monitoring.  The monthly or bi-monthly tapes/DVDs submitted for adherence are also supervised with an additional hour of phone/video supervision with the clinician.  Time devoted to Adherence Supervision is 2 1/2 hours.

(Optional) BASELINE ASSESSMENT  of current status.  For clinicians that have not been under adherence for over 3 months, they can send a recent tape (i.e. within the last month) of a family session conducted by the therapist.  Clinicians who are not adherent will receive a written report with specific domains and skills needing remediation, as well as a remediation plan. Therapists certified within three months need not complete this step .