Thilakshi Fernando - CoC Seminar and Panel Session

Abstract: The clinical decision-making process among mental health clinicians, fundamental to delivering person-centred services, is challenged due to clinicians' bias. By combining multiple concepts and tools, Process-Based Therapy (PBT) provides a framework for structuring clinician decision-making to provide more person-centred services and support. This makes PBT an essential framework for addressing psychological distress, a pressing local, national, and global health concern. This proposed research aims to explore the utility of PBT as a framework for facilitating mental health clinicians' decision-making, addressing psychological distress in a person-centred approach in Australia. The research aims will be achieved by two objectives: (1) to articulate, describe, and critically examine process-based therapy, and (2) to explore mental health clinicians' perspectives on implementing process-based therapy. Grounded in the pragmatic epistemological position and underpinned by Rogers' person-centred theory, this proposed research adopts a mixed methods design, combining surveys and interviews. There are five phases in this proposed research. The first phase will include a literature review and establishing an advisory group. In the second phase, a pilot workshop will be conducted, along with pre-and post-workshop surveys, for novice mental health clinicians to refine the workshop and surveys. In the third phase, the revised surveys and workshop will be implemented with experienced mental health clinicians to assess their initial perception of the utility of PBT.  In the fourth phase, semi-structured interviews will be conducted three months after attending the workshop to explore clinicians' insights into the application of PBT. In the final phase, quantitative and qualitative datasets will be analysed separately and then integrated in a convergent parallel synthesis. By exploring the utility of PBT to strengthen clinical decision-making and promote person-centred services, the study's findings can contribute to national and global priorities, aligning with Mental Health Australia's Strategy 2024-2029 and the WHO framework on integrated, people-centred health services.

Register via: https://unisq.zoom.us/j/86469771209?pwd=01xgRxL1lVn3a2u6s19pmEuangeQrG.1&from=addon