The conference was very informative. I enjoyed meeting admissions directors from several programs and especially enjoyed meeting the CEO of Outcome Tools, Mike Petree (https://outcometools.com/site/). I attended a breakout session presented by John Nielson from Heritage School. John presented on "Improving Clinical Practice using Outcome Studies". We discussed the use of the Youth Outcome Questionnaire to assist with treatment planning and session facilitation. I think it is imperative that treatment facilities utilize measures that appropriately track progress in order to maximize growth potential. Many facilities I am finding do not track progress, or track at the beginning and end. By utilizing measures throughout, the treatment team is able to effectively tailor programs to the individual. The end result being a more efficient program, minimizing lengths of stay. As a new Educational Consultant some of the questions I have been asking programs are; What types of outcome studies are you using? The frequency and schedule of use? Are the measures published? I think if more consultants require programs to track the progress of their clients the accountablility factor will increase. Side note: as a clinician I understand that many times the measures will point to an increase in behaviors, everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt and understanding that the clients are in need of treatment. Bottom line; when I ask how my client is doing I would like to know based on evidence not subjective experiences. Check out some of the studies currently being conducted at http://natsap.org/research/research-at-natsap-programs/.
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