Do Attitudes Matter? Evaluating the Influence of Training in CBT-p-Informed Strategies on Attitudes About Working with People Who Experience Psychosis

Attitudes of mental health providers are an important consideration in training and delivering evidence-based practices. Treatment approaches for individuals who experience schizophrenia consistently endorse the importance of a recovery perspective. At the same time, a review of the literature suggests that the attitudes of many providers and many policies of community health care settings serving individuals who experience schizophrenia, may not align with the recovery perspective. This brief report provides a summary of the program evaluation outcomes of a wide range of mental health providers who participated in a 2-day intensive training to learn strategies informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-p). This intensive training emphasizes engagement strategies and person-centered approaches inherent in the recovery perspective. Consistent with the aims of the training, participants’ attitudes about working with people who experience psychosis appeared to be positively influenced by training.