Does a crosseducational practice meeting assist Thorn graduates to implement psychosocial interventions into clinical practice

• Published in: The journal of mental health training, education, and practice Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 18 - 26
• Main Authors: Kelly, Mike, Galvin, Kate
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Group Publishing Limited 24.12.2010
• Subjects: Implementation; Psychosocial interventions; Strategy; Thorn
• ISSN: 1755-6228
• DOI: 10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0687

Psychosocial interventions PSI have been recognised as an important and valuable treatment for individuals with a serious mental health problem and their families. Over the past decade, PSI has gained national recognition through training courses such as the Thorn programme. However, despite NHS provider organisations investing time and money in the training of mental health practitioners in Thornbased PSI, implementing this training in practice has been inconsistent and difficult. Current literature focuses mainly on the efficacy of Thorntrained practitioners and on their attempts at transferring skills into practice. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a crosseducational practice meeting in assisting Thorn graduates to implement PSI into clinical practice. Fifteen participants from a specialist mental health trust including eight Thorn graduates who participated in this type of meeting were interviewed. Six core themes were identified framework for implementation organisational drivers Thorn graduates' position service achievements reforms to the process and threats to implementation. These themes indicate that a crosseducational practice meeting can be a valuable framework for assisting Thorn graduates in implementing a range of PSI in clinical practice. This type of meeting can also make an impact on the culture of an organisation through facilitating change towards evidencebased psychosocial practice.