Bridging the gap between research and practice in a clinical and training network: Aigle's Program

Abstract

The aim of this article is to share our experience at the Aiglé Foundation in fostering research that can conducted by (or in collaboration with) clinicians within a specific type of naturalistic setting-one that not only provides psychological services but also trains psychotherapists. After presenting the structure of Aiglé and the implementation of its scientific-practitioner philosophy, we describe some of the research that has been conducted with our network of clinicians and the benefits of connecting clinical practice and academic work. We then discuss some of the obstacles that we have encountered in conducting such studies, as well as a number of strategies that we adopted in attempting to address these challenges. We end this article by briefly describing the current state of our practice-research network, and by offering some recommendations to facilitate the conduct of research by and for clinicians.

Building clinicians-researchers partnerships: Lessons from diverse natural settings and practice-oriented initiatives

“…For example, the effectiveness of psychotherapy has been assessed, whether conducted in psychological services or in private practice (Holmqvist et al, 2014;Koerner & Castonguay, 2014). The outcome of specific types of treatments or interventions for a wide range of clinical problems (e.g., children bedwetting and adolescents with behavior and drug problems) has also been investigated or compared (Adelman et al, 2014;Fernández-Álvarez et al, 2014;Holmqvist et al, 2014;Szapocznik, Muir, Duff, Schwart, & Brown, 2014). Using different research methodologies (including randomized trials and single-case experimental designs), studies have assessed the impact of specific training programs aimed at fostering relationship skills, behavioral activation techniques, and two-chair techniques associated with emotion focused therapy (Koerner & Castonguay, 2014).…”

“…A common focus is the assessment of change using standardized outcome monitoring. This involves tracking or predicting the progress of individual, large groups, or specific types of clients (Adelman, Castonguay, Kraus, & Zack, 2014;Boswell, Kraus, Miller, & Lambert, 2014;Castonguay, Pincus, & McAleavey, 2014;Fernández-Álvarez, Gómez, & García, 2014;Holmqvist, Philips, & Barkham, 2014;Koerner & Castonguay, 2014;McAleavey, Lockard, Castonguay, Hayes, & Locke, 2014;Strauss et al, 2014;West et al, 2014). The use of outcome monitoring in day-to-day practice has allowed some of these programs to investigate a number of issues related to specific patterns of change (such as dose-effect and good enough models, predictors of differential response patterns, sudden changes, deterioration, and therapist-client responsiveness), as well as the impact of providing feedback and clinical tools to therapists based on client change.…”

“…Also investigated are a number of characteristics related to the client, such as sociodemographic factors, treatment history, diagnostic variables, pretreatment severity and family functioning, and attachment (Adelman et al, 2014;Holmqvist et al, 2014;McAleavey et al, 2014;Szapocznik et al, 2014;West et al, 2014); therapist, such as hours per week of direct care and personal style (see Fernández-Álvarez et al, 2014;West et al, 2014); treatment, such as practice settings, referral process, access to, utilization and provision of different types of services (psychotherapy and/or pharmacotherapy), sources of payment and management of care, as well as societal beliefs toward psychotherapy (Fernández-Álvarez et al, 2014;McAleavey et al, 2014;West et al, 2014); and the relationship between some of these variables, such as the congruence between client and therapist's perceptions of symptoms, as well as differences in diagnosis and treatment provided across patients' race and ethnicity (Holmqvist et al, 2014;West et al, 2014).…”

Relações entre intervenções terapêuticas, motivação para mudança e eficácia adaptativa em psicoterapia breve

“…Pois, embora sejam observados poucos investimentos científicos quanto à verificação da influência do psicoterapeuta no desenvolvimento de processos psicoterápicos, a experiência prática de formadores na área indica que o estilo pessoal de cada terapeuta tende a influenciar os resultados do processo (Fernández-Alvarez et al, 2015). Nesta direção, novos estudos podem considerar os recursos adaptativos do terapeuta e do paciente para uma compreensão integrada do que efetivamente promove mudanças num processo psicoterapêutico (Serralta et al, 2010;Yoshida e Rocha, 2007).…”

Presentación de una Guía para la Observación y Clasificación de la Conducta Verbal de los Terapeutas

“…En la Fundación Aiglé se desarrolló un programa de investigación sobre el Estilo Personal del Terapeuta -EPT-(Fernández-Álvarez, y García, 1998;Castañeiras, García, Lo Bianco y Fernández-Álvarez, 2006;García, Castañeiras, Gómez y Fernández-Álvarez, 2009;Fernández-Álvarez, Gómez y García, 2013). El constructo EPT se define como "el conjunto de características que el terapeuta pone en juego en cada acto de psicoterapia, modelando los atributos fundamentales de dicho acto" Fernández-Álvarez y García (1998).…”