June 14, 2021

At Least 3 Reasons Continuing Education Sucks (Usually)

37 minutes

At Least 3 Reasons Continuing Education Sucks

Curt and Katie chat about why continuing education is usually pretty ineffective. We dig into a listener question related to repackaged, introductory level, uninspiring presentations. We look at the systemic concerns related to CE standards as well as the difficulty balancing high quality education with affordability. We explore research that shows that continuing education (especially when it is solely didactic) does not impact client outcomes. We also share ideas to improve continuing education for the next generation of clinicians.

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about:

The problems with continuing education rules and what that means for the types of education modern therapists often can find

The ways in which presenters repackage others’ material

Continuing education is not proven to improve client outcomes

CE standards that limit the innovation and interactive capability

How most CE is very general and appropriate for all levels of clinicians (not solely intermediate to advanced therapists)

The type of didactic training that might be impactful or effective (but may not be CE worthy)

The problem with not having practical applications involved in presentations

Learning, practicing and then doing

Why effective continuing education is expensive and whether they make a difference in being better therapists

Deliberate practice and the effectiveness of spending time outside of session (and training) practicing skills

Practice-based evidence (measuring how well our clients are doing) and why this is the strongest way to do better work

The importance of giving accurate feedback to CE providers

The acknowledgement and acceptance within the system that CE doesn’t really work – and the push back and reasons why people within the system don’t want to fix it

Assessing competence and engagement in training (pros and cons)

The balance between accessibility and accountability

The shelf-life of graduate education and the need for continuing education

Our vision related to continuing education and learning

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below might be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!

The Cycle of Excellence by Tony Rousmaniere

Dr. Joy DeGruy

Why TED Talks don't change people's behaviors: Tom Asacker at TEDxCambridge 2014

Scott Miller, PhD: Deliberate Practice

Dr. Ben Caldwell, LMFT – Ben Caldwell Labs

Articles:

Impact of Formal Continuing Medical Education

Does Professional Training Make a Therapist More Effective?

...more

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By Curt Widhalm, LMFT and Katie Vernoy, LMFT

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