4 - (SYM 27) Assessing Provider Competency During Training in Written Exposure Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Increasing the reach of evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) requires successfully training the mental health workforce. Training typically involves a foundational workshop, case consultation, evaluation of work products, and monitoring patient outcomes. Current standard trainings use a one-size-fits-all approach. However, timely, accurate assessment of competency would allow for tailoring of training to the individual provider, permitting efficient allocation of training resources. As part of program evaluation for a national PTSD training program for community-based providers serving veterans and civilians, we implemented novel competency assessments to evaluate provider competency during training in Written Exposure Therapy (WET), an evidence-based PTSD treatment. Providers completed brief competency assessments online at three time points: post-workshop, mid-consultation (8 weeks post-workshop), and post-consultation (16 weeks post-workshop). At mid- and post-consultation, providers’ consultants also rated their skill level and overall competency to independently deliver WET.  Results indicated that consultants’ mid-consultation predicted whether the provider achieved Provider Status (i.e., completion of two cases discussed in consultation and delivered with adherence to the model; Fisher’s exact test p < .05). Additionally, the brief competency assessment completed by providers distinguished between those rated as proficient versus not yet proficient by their consultant both mid- and post-consultation (e.g., Time 2 competency t = -4.34, p < .001). Additional analyses will also be presented on the concordance between the competency assessments with gold-standard competency assessment via expert rated fidelity based on audio recorded of sessions. Additionally, we will present the association between competency assessments and patient outcomes. Finally, provider characteristics (e.g., prior experience with PTSD treatment) and training variables (e.g., number of cases seen) will be included towards developing guidelines for personalized training.