Online PCT Training for Clinicians

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR; R43/44) grant application to NIMH to support the development of an innovative, online training program in Panic Control Treatment (PCT). The current application represents a cooperative partnership between the PI's small business concern, Behavioral Tech Research, Inc., a company with an impressive history of developing innovative training programs for psychosocial treatments, and the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University, where PCT was developed and evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). PCT is a cognitive-behavioral, evidence-based treatment for panic disorder. The proposed online training program will substantially aid in the vital training of community mental health clinicians and other community practitioners in the utilization of this evidence- based treatment with diverse populations. Specifically, the initial aims of this Phase I application are to: 1) Determine content for the prototype utilizing an advisory board of experts, with multidisciplinary training expertise (i.e., prisons, public sector community mental health agencies, private practice environments, and psychiatry) ; 2) Create the prototype using an iterative process of development and evaluation; and, 3) Conduct a feasibility pilot study using a randomized controlled design to evaluate knowledge gains in PCT, recall of PCT components, and self-efficacy in conducting the initial two sessions with patients diagnosed with panic disorder. In the event of a successful Phase I test of feasibility, we will substantially expand the multimedia program and its evaluation in Phase II. Although empirically-based treatments do exist for people diagnosed with panic disorder, only a relatively small percentage of this population will receive such treatments. Panic Control Treatment (PCT) is one efficacious approach for the treatment of panic. The lack of effective treatment availability is compounded by inherent difficulties in providing clinicians with training in treatments like PCT, beyond written text manuals or infrequent workshops. The intent of this project is to develop a uniquely comprehensive and interactive online training in PCT, in order to improve clinical outcomes for patients suffering from panic disorder.