We are glad you expressed interest in joining this program to implement Thinking Skills for Work in conjunction with your Supported Employment program. This webpage contains information about this project, including:
Basic Agency Requirements
- Serve a population of individuals with a serious mental illness.
- Have a Supported Employment program serving at least 25 clients.
- Designate two staff members to get trained and deliver TSW.
- Identify a supervisor to participate in the training.
- Identify leadership at the agency (e.g., clinical and SE program directors) willing to form an Implementation Team.
Technological Requirements:
- Technological support (IT) available.
- At least one PC computer on which the cognitive software can be loaded and used with clients.
- Zoom access (authorized by IT) including webcam, speakers, and microphone.
The Study
Agencies will designate a Project Coordinator, who will coordinate activities at the agency with the BU consultants. Information will be tracked related to staff members’ participation in training activities and implementation activities (e.g., online training, supervision, work with clients enrolled in program etc). BU researchers will conduct individual interviews with trained staff at selected agencies 6 months after the training is completed to understand their experience with participating in the Thinking Skills for Work implementation process.
Q: Who should we choose from our staff to participate in the training?
A: It is preferable to have 2 providers at a master’s degree level (clinicians and/or employment specialists) AND the SE supervisor participate in the training.
If you have two providers and one supervisor, the supervisor won’t be expected to enroll trainees nor they will receive individual feedback from our training team. If you can only select one provider, then the SE supervisor would be the second trainee and would be expected to enroll clients and receive personal supervision.
The minimum number of trainees per agency would be 2 and the maximum number would be 3 (with only two receiving personal feedback).
Q: What if we only have one staff member who can receive the training and deliver TSW, or do not have two staff with a master’s degree, but we still want to participate?
A: We can discuss agencies participating even if they have only one staff member available for training and delivery of the program, as long as that agency also has a supervisor who participates in the training, and agency leaders who participate in regular consultation calls, as part of the Agency Implementation Team.
In addition, if a staff person has a credential other than a master’s degree, but has solid experience, we are willing to discuss their participation.
A supervisor could elect to be one of the two Agency trainees but would still then participate as a member of the Agency Implementation Team.
Q: Who should be on the Agency Implementation Team?
A: The roles for the Implementation Team involve the leadership of your organization, who can represent elements of the agency which will be effected by the delivery of TSW and who can make agency/organizational decisions (e.g., director of your clinical program who works with the Supported Employment program; the program administrator/program director of the SE program; the Supported Employment supervisor). The consultation will focus on identifying tailored solutions for any challenges that may arise in conducting the training, supervision and sustaining TSW.
One member of the Implementation Team should take the role of a Project Coordinator – who would serve as the agency’s liaison with BU during the implementation process and who would also help collect information for the study in year 2022.
Lastly, periodic contact with the Executive Director of the agency itself is needed. The number of individuals on the Team are not important, but the full representation of points of view and ability to make decisions, is important to your ability to implement Thinking Skills for Work in a sustainable way.
Q: What is the duration and time commitment for the training and supervision?
A: The entire training program will last about 12 months, with two components: an online training to increase your knowledge and understanding of TSW and supervised client practice.
· Online training: self-paced learning of approximately 8-10 weeks, 30-40 minutes a week.
· Supervised practice phase A: weekly 1-hour group supervision sessions beginning in week #5 of the online training and continuing for 6 months.
· Supervised practice phase B: Upon completion of the first 6 months of supervision we will provide group supervision every 2 weeks for another 6 months, aimed at bolstering trainees’ skills, expanding the number of participating clients in the program, and sustaining its long-term implementation.
· Trainees are expected to meet with their practice clients at least once per week to deliver TSW, and to provide audio-recordings of these sessions for feedback in the weekly supervision meeting.
Q: How many clients do we need to practice with?
A: Each trainee will get experience delivering TSW for 2 clients this training period, with additional clients enrolled in the program, as determined by agency staff. The eventual goal is to be able to provide TSW for anyone in SE who needs it
Q: How often will the technical assistance (TA) meetings be and with whom?
A: Meetings with the agency Implementation Team (e.g. Clinical Director, Supported Employment Program Administrator, Supervisor) will vary in frequency as the program is implemented, with the exact schedule worked out together with the agency (e.g. monthly, bi-monthly etc.).
The Implementation Team will also involve the Agency Director in the plans, on a quarterly or less frequent basis, as worked out collaboratively, to serve the agency’s needs.
Agency TA will be available for the entire length of your involvement in the project, from the point of your enrollment, through to the beginning of data collection for the study.
Q: What do you mean by “Marketing”?
A: “Marketing” refers to getting the word out about the implementation of this new program, Thinking Skills for Work aimed at improving work outcomes.
This means letting clinicians, clients, families, and agencies which refer to you, know about this exciting program. We have developed a Toolkit to help you “market” the program at your agency that includes materials such as flyers, posters, and other resources, to create hope about employment and provide information about TSW to different stakeholders. You can use whatever resources in the Toolkit may be useful to your agency and Region. The Project Coordinator will be the point person for the marketing Toolkit.
Q: What equipment do we need to make this work?
A: You will need:
– PC computer for the online training and supervision or consultation Zoom meetings
– Internet connection and Zoom access
– Webcam and microphone
– Software or recording device to record client sessions that can generate WAV or MP3 files
– A quiet space to conduct individual and/or group sessions
– Printer for handouts for clients and marketing materials (B&W is sufficient)
– A cellphone that can run a support app, to help you practice TSW
Q: It seems like there is a lot of technology involved in this project. We would like to be involved, but I am not sure we can handle this.
A: If you have IT support, we can figure out together, how best to access the equipment you need, as part of the agency TA. BU will try to help agencies find the resources they need to establish all their technical needs.
Q: How do you protect clients’ personal information?
A: All the technology we are using is HIPPA compliant, including the app and the sharing platforms of session recordings.
Q. We are interested in TSW and would like to enroll now. How do we go about it?
A: Please fill out the brief application form by December 23rd, 2020. A decision will be made about the fit between the project and your agency. We will notify you and suggest some possible times, as soon as possible, to help you prepare for the training, which will begin in February 2021. If you have more questions about the project or enrollment, please email tswcpr@bu.edu.
Q: We are interested in TSW, but don’t have the capacity to implement it now. Can we delay our participation?
A: Yes! We will open the training in four time points between February and May of 2021. Please fill out the application form and we will identify the best entry point for your agency.