Knowledge and competency standards for specialized cognitive behavior therapy for adult obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a leading cause of disability world-wide (World Health Organization, 2008). Treatment of OCD is a specialized field whose aim is recovery from illness for as many patients as possible. The evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatment for OCD is specialized cognitive behavior therapy (CBT, NICE, 2005, Koran and Simpson, 2013). However, these treatments are not accessible to many sufferers around the world. Currently available guidelines for care are deemed to be essential but insufficient because of highly variable clinician knowledge and competencies specific to OCD. The phase two mandate of the 14 nation International OCD Accreditation Task Force (ATF) created by the Canadian Institute for Obsessive Compulsive Disorders is development of knowledge and competency standards for specialized treatments for OCD through the lifespan deemed by experts to be foundational to transformative change in this field. This paper presents knowledge and competency standards for specialized CBT for adult OCD developed to inform, advance, and offer a model for clinical practice and training for OCD. During upcoming ATF phases three and four criteria and processes for training in specialized treatments for OCD through the lifespan for certification (individuals) and accreditation (sites) will be developed based on the ATF standards.

Mental Health Screening in a Bosnian Refugee Population Using the Primary Care Behavioral Health Screener-Bosnian Translation.

This study assesses the utility of the primary care behavioral health screener (PCBHS), which the authors have adapted and translated for adult Bosnian refugees (PCBHS-B) living in the Midwest area of the United States, who utilized primary care services within a private physician clinic and a federally qualified health center. The study was conducted from March 2012-April 2013 and included 131 Bosnian respondents, 24% of whom were receiving behavioral health services. Similar to a non-Bosnian U.S. sample, one-third (34.4%) of the respondents experienced clinically significant symptoms. Results suggest that the PCBHS-B can be a useful and acceptable instrument for identifying behavioral health problems in Bosnian primary care patients.

Transporting integrated primary care to the private sector: addressing the business challenges.

The primary care literature provides some useful information and several project examples for clinicians attempting to develop an integrated care practice, but prior discussion has been based largely on projects developed in government-funded or HMO systems. The current paper focuses on the business challenges of establishing an integrated care practice in a private, fee-for-service setting. Despite increasing commitment to the concept of the medical home, which embraces behavioral health care, physicians in the private sector remain cautious about proposed practice changes such as integrated care. There are additional obstacles that can impede successful implementation of integrated primary care in the private sector. The authors identify five major challenges and suggest potential strategies to address these challenges, drawing, in part, on their experience with a 4-year integrated primary care demonstration project.

Psychometric properties of the primary care behavioral health screen.

The Primary Care Behavioral Health Screen (PCBHS) is a self-report instrument developed to screen for behavioral health problems in primary care settings. The present paper describes development of the PCBHS and reports findings from item analyses and studies examining the instrument's convergent validity and test-retest reliability. Results suggest the PCBHS is a useful and valid method for screening a variety of behavioral health problems in a busy primary care practice. Recommendations for further research on the PCBHS are provided.