The role of fidelity in Assertive Community Treatment: Better fidelity means better outcomes
Event date: -
Event type: Single day (a day or less)
This webinar series is presented by the Fidelity Monitoring in Ontario Community of Interest in collaboration with Evidence Exchange Network (EENet). Learn more about this webinar series, "Building high quality mental health services - Why fidelity matters".
The role of fidelity in Assertive Community Treatment: Better fidelity means better outcomes
Join this webinar to get an overview of what the decades of experience with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) fidelity assessments have taught us about the value and necessity of continuing fidelity support for ACT teams both new and old. Participants will also consider evolving assessment tools and protocols that support high fidelity teams as they operate in accordance with the Ontario provincial operational standards.
Webinar goals:
- Understand why fidelity is critical for best outcomes.
- Gain an understanding of the actual fidelity assessment process and its attendant assessment tools.
- Consider challenges teams face in achieving and maintaining fidelity.
The presenters
Dr. Helle Thorning, PhD, MS, LCSW-R, is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Social Work (in Psychiatry) Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. She serves on the leadership team of the Center for Practice Innovations in the Division of Behavioral Health Services and Policy Research at the Center for Practice Innovations at New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University. Here, she is a Research Scientist and the Director of the ACT Institute (Assertive Community Treatment).
Dr. Thorning's main research area is in the development and application of educational and psychoeducational interventions designed to improve quality of life and outcomes for individuals and families faced with trauma, mental illness, parenting in the context of behavioural health challenges or other significant life challenges, as well as transitional care. She has published widely on the topic of interventions and the experience of families and siblings. Moreover, she studies implementation science to change practice to evidenced-based practices with fidelity through workforce development, transformative learning processes, organizational change and quality improvement, and has published in this emergent area of study.
Luis O. Lopez, MA, MS, is the Director of Best Practices at Center for Practice Innovations and Coordinator for Fidelity and Best Practices at the ACT Institute. He has been at the New York State Psychiatric Institute since 2013. He is also a counsellor, a trainer, a consultant, and a coach. He has a MA in counselling and a MS in Administration (with a focus on implementation). He has been involved in the implementation, and sometimes, unique application, of evidence-based practices since 2003. He has expertise in the areas of trauma responsive care, motivational interviewing, dual recovery, group dynamics, cultural humility, stages of change, harm reduction, WRAP, cognitive behaviour therapy, wellness self-management, social justice advocacy and the ACT model. He has facilitated workshops in over 150 conferences nationally, including in Canada. He has also conducted consultations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. He is member of the American Counseling Association and ACA-NY. He is a chess player and a DJ at TWITCH TV.
John Maher, MD, FRCPC, did his medical training at McMaster University and his psychiatry residency at the University of Ottawa. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He has a BA and MA in philosophy, with specialization in medical ethics. He is a member of the Barrie & South Georgian Bay ACT Team (Ontario, Canada).
He has been an ACT team consulting psychiatrist for 19 years. He previously worked at a busy community hospital doing adult and emergency psychiatry and running a day treatment program for patients with personality disorders. He has provided consultations to transitional youth services, a mental health support court, and a community college student mental health service.
Dr. Maher was founder and Executive Director of Camp Trillium and the Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Centre, founding board member of the Canadian Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, Assistant Director of the National Cancer Control Task Force, Executive Director of Cancer Canada, and founder and Executive Director of Families and Children Experiencing AIDS (FACE AIDS). He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health and President of the Ontario Association for ACT & FACT (OAAF).
For more information about the webinar series, contact Rossana Coriandoli, EENet Knowledge Broker, or Janet Durbin, Co-Lead, Fidelity COI.