title: Teaching therapeutic assessment for self-harm in adolescents: training outcomes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the teaching programme of Therapeutic Assessment (TA), a brief intervention at the point of initial assessment for adolescents with self-harm; to describe trainees' preferences and choices regarding their use of specific aspects of TA.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a comparative study investigating the differences in the TA skills before and after training. This design was chosen to establish whether or not TA training is efficacious.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four clinicians volunteered to participate in five half-day TA training sessions. Their scores on the Therapeutic Assessment Quality Assurance Tool (TAQAT, primary outcome measure) were compared before and after training. Satisfaction with training and therapeutic strategy choices as well as ability to perform TA in an RCT were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinicians who participated in TA training had significantly increased scores on TAQAT after training. The clinicians who achieved the required quality of TA post assessments were likely to be able to carry out TA in an RCT with high fidelity. In addition, prior to training, significant differences in the quality of assessments as measured by TAQAT were identified depending on the experience of the clinician. This discrepancy was no longer present post training. Therapeutic strategy based on solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) was the option of choice post training.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TA training is feasible and associated with improved quality of self-harm assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TA is a brief intervention associated with improved treatment engagement. TA training is feasible and is associated with improved quality of self-harm assessment. SFBT-based exit is the most commonly used strategy in TA.
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.
authors: Dennis
authors: D
authors: Ougrin
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Zundel
authors: Audrey V
authors: AV
authors: Ng
authors: Batsheva
authors: B
authors: Habel
authors: Saqib
authors: S
authors: Latif
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000296:Adolescent Psychiatry / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003657:Decision Making; D004496:Education, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D062405:Motivational Interviewing; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*