MST Examples of Recruitment Materials

Transcription

1 MST Examples of Recruitment Materials Used with permission from MST Services, Inc. Preface to Therapist Recruitment Toolkit 1. Negative impact on families Potential Costs of Not Hiring Carefully and Well Worse treatment outcomes Longer duration of treatment 2. Supervisor workload More time spent on crisis management, fixing mistakes More time spent on training and development, close level of supervision Time spent on addressing barriers such as lack of buy-in 3. Ripple effect on team Negativity of mismatched therapist can spread Other team members carry a greater load 4. Negative perceptions in community When community stakeholders have negative experiences with a therapist, it influences the perception of the whole program 5. Turnover* Typical experiences: In family preservation and related fields as a whole, turnover is high Turnover in MST programs from the Transportability Study: averaged 21% turnover annually. Lower than national rates in mental health, estimated at 50% annually (Sheidow, et. al., 2006) Turnover rates across MST programs in Transportability Study varied greatly: we want to keep turnover as low as possible for all programs. Consequences of turnover: In the Transportability Study, turnover resulted in significantly worse outcomes for families (Schoenwald, presentation, June 28, 2006) Family has multiple therapists, discontinuity in service Expense of hiring and training Fewer families served In light of the many potential costs of not hiring well, we have found it pays to be VERY cautious about hiring therapists who don t fit, despite feeling pressured to hire quickly.

2 *Note that hiring therapists who don t fit is only one of the contributors to therapist turnover, although an important one. Examples from Supervisor Recruitment Toolkit: Manual Table of Contents Supervisor Recruitment Toolkit: A Guide for MST Supervisor Hiring Contents Instructions for Using the Supervisor Recruitment Toolkit... 3 Key Participants in the MST Supervisor Hiring Process... 4 Flowchart and Approximate Timeline For the Hiring Process... 5 Sample Advertisement... 7 Sample Job Description... 7 Appendices Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Phase 1: Initial Screening Interview Phase 2 Information Packet: Clinical Assessment and Role Play Phase 2-A: Directions for the Clinical Assessment Phase 2-B: Directions for the Supervision Role Play

3 Examples from Supervisor Recruitment Toolkit: Timeline Approximate Timeline for the Hiring Process The hiring process should be initiated 3-6 months prior to anticipated supervisor start date. Activity 1. Select Lead Recruiter and identify committee members 2. Approve job description Week 1 Weeks 2-3 Estimated Time Line 3. Approve salary range and benefits 4. Write and place advertisement Week 4 5. Run Advertisement Weeks Review Applications/screen for appropriate candidates 7. Contact screened candidates and set dates for Phase 1 interviews Weeks Conduct Phase 1 interviews 9. Committee reviews Phase 1 results and screens for Phase 2 interviews 10. Contact screened candidates and set date for Phase 2 interviews Week 11 Weeks Conduct Phase 2 interviews 12. Committee selects candidate and makes job offer Week Candidate accepts offer 14. Candidate notice to current employer Weeks or (depending on local norms and requirements) 15. Supervisor first day on the job As early as week 17 As late as week 27 Examples from Supervisor Recruitment Toolkit: Phase of Interview

4 Phase 1 of Supervisor Recruitment: Initial Screening Interview (21 Questions) Instructions for Using materials in Appendix A: Initial Screening Interview The Initial Screening Interview typically last minutes. Materials in Appendix A include: A template of the screening questions and An interviewer s guide that provides prompts about how to interpret the applicant s responses. A grid to record the applicant s level of experience in all relevant domains. Make a copy of the template and record the applicant s responses. One copy of this completed form is placed in the applicant s file and a second copy is passed on to the Screening Committee (if the candidate proceeds to Phase 2). This stage of the interview process allows the interviewer to assess the candidate s: 1. Depth of knowledge regarding component parts of MST; 2. Basic knowledge and awareness of evidence based practice; 3. Experience, knowledge base, and level of skill in the areas of teaching, training and clinical supervision; 4. Communication style, interpersonal skills, and work ethic; and 5. Level of interest in the position. Phase Two of Supervisor Recruitment: Clinical Assessment and Role Play Phase 2: Case Conceptualization Exercise: Information Packet (Materials Provided to Applicant by MST to complete Phase Two; Includes textbook, manual and example case) Instructions Please review the paperwork for the accompanying case. The case notes represent a sampling of the therapist s work over a period of several months. Not all weekly summaries have been included. Based on the information provided create as rich a clinical picture as possible.

5 Phase 2-A: Directions for the Clinical Assessment (Six Step Process) This phase of the interview process should last no more than one hour. Prior to conducting the Clinical Assessment, the interviewer should become intimately familiar with the case that provides the clinical content for conducting the interview. It is recommended that the interviewer prepare as if he or she were the supervisor on the case, and answer the questions provided to the candidate on the instruction page located in Appendix B. The interviewer should also audiotape the Clinical Assessment in case a second opinion is required to determine next steps for the candidate. The candidate s performance in this phase of the process is assessed on a pass/fail basis. (Six steps; a modified version of step one provided below as example.) Step 1: Provide the candidate with an overview of the objectives of the Clinical Assessment. This portion of the interview should last no more than 5 minutes. Prior to beginning the assessment, the interviewer should ensure that the candidate has received and understands all the materials and has no questions. Sample instructions: The main purpose of this interview is to assess the amount of current overlap in your thinking with the way that MST thinks and creates interventions. There are four different parts to this interview. To the extent that I am able to assess how you think and what you would do in each area, I will move us on. So I may interrupt you by saying We ve done enough here, I get a good sense of how you are thinking. Let me start by giving you an overview of each of the four parts so you know how we will proceed. 1. The first thing we will focus on is your ability to create a rich clinical picture with very little information because the supervisor really has very little information about the families for whom they are giving ideas. 2. Next I want to understand how you conceptualize problems. 3. Third, I want to assess what types of interventions you would design to address each of the two problems. 4. In the last part, I would like to hear your assessment of the therapist, what her clinical strengths and needs are, and some ideas about how you might help her with this case, since the consultation process really is about helping the therapist to adhere to MST and improve the quality her clinical work with families. At the end of this fourth step, I will give you an overall impression. Do you have any questions before we start? If the interviewer is not comfortable giving feedback without a second opinion from a screening committee person, he or she should inform the applicant that feedback will be provided in a follow-up contact within 48 hours.

6 Phase 2-B: Directions for the Supervision Role Play (Two Step Process) This phase of the interview process should last no more than one hour. Prior to starting the supervision role play, the interviewer should become intimately familiar with the case (located in Appendix D). It is recommended that the interviewer prepare the case as if he/she were the supervisor on the case. The interviewer should also ensure that he/she has the necessary equipment to audiotape the role play. (Two Steps; modified version of step one included here as an example.) Step 1: Provide the candidate with an overview of the objectives and format for the supervision role play. This portion of the interview should last no longer than 5 minutes. Sample instructions: Let s move right into the role play. I will audiotape the interaction and share it with {MST Consultant}. The objective of this role play is not to compare your performance with someone who is already functioning in this role. Rather, I am looking for evidence of your current skills and abilities in key performance domains related to success in the supervision role. These domains include: Directiveness: The degree to which you provide structure and direct the therapist. Task-orientation: The degree to which you keep people focused on the task at hand. Communication skills: Your ability to provide clear, concise directions and feedback. Analytic thinking: Your ability to problem-solve clinical dilemmas logically and thoroughly Clinical knowledge base: Your ability to identify key clinical concerns in the case and provide concrete detailed MST-consistent intervention ideas to address these problems.