A mental health course for developmental allied healthcare professionals: An exploration of potential effectiveness

Abstract

We examined the effectiveness of a mental health course for developmental allied healthcare professionals (DAHPs) that focused on emotional and relational processes inherent to treatment. We hypothesized that (a) following the course, DAHPs would report increased awareness and sense of competence in dealing with these processes; (b) an increased sense of competence would be associated with decreased burnout; (c) following the course, DAHPs would increase their reading and participation in seminars about emotional processes in therapy; and (d) DAHPs would report the course had positive effects on their work and that they use a more relationship-based treatment approach. Participants were 153 Israeli DAHPs. They reported their attitudes and sense of competence in coping with emotional and relational processes in treatment in three time points: before, upon completion, and at follow-up. At follow-up, participants also reported level of burnout and the extent they made changes in their work. They provided examples of these changes, which were qualitatively analyzed. Study hypotheses were supported. Results suggest participating in a relatively brief mental health course is associated with positive changes in DAHPs' attitudes, sense of competence, and professional approach toward a relationship-based treatment. K E Y W O R D S developmental allied healthcare, mental health course, parent-child relationship, parentinfant relationship, relationship-based treatment

Starting at Birth: An Integrative, State-of-the-Science Framework for Optimizing Infant Neuromotor Health

“…The relational health emphasis in early intervention recognizes that (a) infants thrive most within secure, responsive relationships and (b) caregivers are best equipped to be agents of the intervention in the context of responsive, collaborative relationships with the therapist. Relationship focused intervention increases caregiver engagement and satisfaction, decreases therapist burnout, improves caregiver-infant interactions, and ultimately improves developmental outcome ( 14 ). The shift from child-centric to relationship-focused intervention requires therapist competence in not only neuromotor therapy, but also in intervention practices that support the caregiver-infant relationship, as the foundation of developmental growth.…”

“…Recent strides have been made in early intervention evidence for infants with motor challenges, including the importance of education and support of caregivers ( 7 , 8 ), understanding family ecology when setting therapeutic goals ( 9 ), infant-initiated movements ( 9 – 12 ), and supporting the transition from hospital to home ( 9 , 13 ). Building on this foundation, our goal was to reach further into adjacent disciplines of developmental psychology, infant mental health and prevention, and implementation science ( 14 – 17 ) to create a neuromotor intervention framework that incorporates considerations of holistic development, family engagement, implementation, and scalability.…”