Abstract
In recent years, a wide range of new technologies (e.g., video teleconferencing, Virtual Reality, internet-based interventions) have been applied to the field of mental and behavioral health, with positive outcomes. The current study is a randomized controlled trial of web-based clinical skills training for therapists and counselors (n = 168) who treat Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Participants were randomized into one of three arms: 1) control; 2) web training; or 3) web training plus follow-up telephone consultation. Participants in the "web training" and "web plus" groups were exposed to three 2 hour interactive online training modules that teach core elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Participants were asked to login during their free time to take the self-paced trainings and had access to the site throughout the remainder of the study period, except during assessment intervals. Participants in the "web plus" condition then received five weeks of post training telephone consultation. All participants were evaluated on skill performance (via simulated interview) and clinical knowledge at pre and post. Data collection is complete and preliminary results will be presented along with a discussion of web module development, strengths and weaknesses of the interactive training, and special considerations regarding follow-up telephone consultation for web-trained skills. Keywords: Online, Training, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder