Steven W Villafranca’s research while affiliated with Stanford University and other places

Historically, clinicians have learned about evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) by reading therapy manuals and/or attending clinical training workshops. However, researchers agree that such methods alone are insufficient to support the implementation of EBPs. This article explores the concept of blended learning (BL) and its potential for facilitating the implementation of EBPs. Blended learning refers to integration of multiple methods of information delivery into a single learning system. Implementation of EBPs describes a specific set of activities that are designed to promote the uptake and sustained adoption of a psychotherapeutic approach, strategy, or technique that has demonstrable empirical support. This article reviews the most common methods by which EBPs are currently disseminated and implemented, defines the concept of BL, and presents some examples of different elements that can be combined into a BL system. Three models of BL are presented and illustrations of these BL formulations are provided using examples from the extant literature. This article concludes with a summary and recommendations for future research.

This study compared the learning outcomes achieved by 166 practicing substance abuse counselors who were randomized to one of three conditions: (1) a Web-Based Training (WBT) module designed to familiarize practitioners with the "Coping with Craving" module from the NIDA treatment manual, "A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach: Treating Cocaine Addiction" (www.nidatoolbox.org), (2) a face-to-face training workshop covering the identical content, or (3) a delayed training control condition. Participants in all three conditions completed an identical test of knowledge before and after the session. Results indicated that participants in both the WBT and face-to-face workshop conditions showed improvement in mean test scores, while participants in the delayed training control condition did not. Improvements in test scores for participants in both the WBT and face-to-face conditions were statistically significant and equally modest in magnitude. The finding of equivalent rates of knowledge transfer across these two delivery mechanisms highlight one function for which WBT may be particularly well-suited, and suggest that the most effective clinical training applications may use a "blended delivery" format that leverages the strengths of both WBT and face-to-face training.

Retention in Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) is associated with reductions in substance use, HIV risk behavior, and criminal activities in opioid dependent patients. To improve the effectiveness of treatment for opioid dependence, it is important to identify predisposing characteristics and provider-related variables that predict retention in OAT. Participants include 258 veterans enrolled in 8 outpatient methadone/l-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM) treatment programs. Signal detection analysis was utilized to identify variables predictive of 1-year retention and to identify the optimal cut-offs for significant predictors. Provider-related variables play a vital role in predicting retention in OAT programs, as higher methadone dose (> or =59 mg/day) and greater treatment satisfaction were among the strongest predictors of retention at 1-year follow-up.