Use It or Lose It: Post-workshop Reflection Enhances Learning and Utilization of CBT Skills

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Highlights

  • Many therapists attend 1- or 2-day therapy training workshops

  • Researchers have suggested workshops may be ineffective without follow-up consultation

  • Our results indicate that two simple strategies may enhance workshop effectiveness

  • Providing opportunities for reflection enhances learning and utilization of skills

  • Email reminders double the number of participants who engage in reflection

Abstract

Many therapists attend 1- or 2-day workshops as part of their continuing professional development. Recent literature has suggested that workshops are largely ineffective unless followed up by consultation or supervision. However, not all therapists have this option, and the question remains whether there are ways to potentiate workshop learning in the absence of follow-up consultation. This study tested the hypothesis that creating opportunities to reflect in the weeks following a workshop would enhance learning and utilization of skills. Two groups of practitioners, who attended the same 2-day CBT skills workshop in successive years, were compared: a training-as-usual group and a reflection group. The reflection group completed reflection worksheets at the end of each workshop day and were instructed to complete follow-up reflection worksheets at 1, 4 and 8 weeks post-workshop. Ten weeks after the workshop, the reflection group reported enhanced use of new skills with clients and a trend towards increased awareness of workshop learning. Further analysis revealed that group differences were almost entirely linked to use of follow-up reflection worksheets. Those participants in the reflection group who used follow-up reflection worksheets reported far greater awareness and use of skills than those who did not. Reminder emails had the predicted effect of increasing the use of the reflection worksheets; twice as many participants in the email reminder group used the reflection sheets compared with the nonreminder group. The results suggest that the relatively simple strategy of introducing reflection worksheets to workshop handouts, and sending reminder emails may significantly enhanced learning and utilization of workshop skills.

Section snippets

Participants

The two groups of participants were attendees at a 2-day CBT workshop, which was presented in successive years. Approximately 850 people attended each workshop. At both workshops, participants were given a form asking if they would be willing to be contacted in the next few weeks “to get feedback on the learning you have done” and to “find out more about participants’ experiences of workshops.” Those agreeing were asked to complete a form giving the researchers their email address. No further

Results

The first comparison between the training-as-usual (TAU) group and the reflection (Ref) group revealed a highly significant difference for Change in Behavior (TAU: M = 1.60, SD = 0.75; Ref: M = 2.13, SD = 0.71, t[93] = 3.50, p < .001); and a nonsignificant trend towards Change in Awareness (TAU: M = 2.18, SD 0.81; Ref: M = 2.44, SD = 0.68, t[93] = 1.72, p < .09). The reflection group therefore appeared to benefit from the reflection sheets.

However, only about half of the members (25/48) of the reflection group

Discussion

The results of the study indicate that spending structured time reflecting on workshop learning both during a workshop and at 1 and 4 weeks post-workshop (the Ref-USE group) facilitates increased awareness of the learning and utilization of the skills at 10-week follow-up, compared with training-as-usual with no structured reflection. Furthermore, the results indicate that it is not enough simply to reflect on learning during a workshop. Participants using reflection sheets during the workshop

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