Blenheim CDP Launches ITEP Training and Consultancy Programme
Blenheim CDP puts ITEP manual at the core of its psycho-social treatment interventions.
Blenheim CDP, one of London’s largest drug treatment providers, has put ITEP at the heart of its psycho-social interventions in all its treatment centres following a two year involvement in piloting its use. The psycho-social interventions developed through the ITEP programme are now used extensively by Blenheim CDP workers in both one-to-one and group work settings.
The International Treatment Effectiveness Project (ITEP) utilised a care planning approach, (‘node linked mapping’) delivered by trained key-workers with their clients. Research had shown that these psychosocial interventions have a number of positive outcomes in terms of clients’ treatment experiences and reductions in illicit drug use. A report by the NTA “The International Treatment Effectiveness Project implementing psychosocial interventions for adult drug misusers” published in July 2007 found that ITEP interventions resulted in:
- Clients having a better rapport with their key-workers
- Improved levels of client participation and engagement in treatment
- Clients benefited from better peer support, compared to clients in those services that did not receive mapping
As part of the NTA’s Treatment Effectiveness strategy, ITEP was a collaboration between the NTA, the Institute of Behavioural Research (IBR) in Texas and six service providers including Blenheim CDP. The ITEP project built on this internationally evaluated model of service improvement and adapted the model to evaluate the use of such psychosocial interventions in English drug services.
ITEP training run at Blenheim CDP teaches the use of node link mapping as an effective and visual communication tool for clarifying shared information between client and keyworker. It helps clients to look at the causes and effects of their thinking and also assists in problem solving. A series of brief interventions also using mapping is aimed at ‘Changing Thinking Patterns’, helping clients and keyworkers to address the thinking patterns that can be barriers to clients changing their behaviour.
Having trained over a hundred staff in its use and with eighteen months worth of experience on the ground across a wide range of treatment environments, Blenheim CDP is now offering an ITEP training and consultancy programme across the sector. This is aimed at building on the positive impact that the psycho-social interventions developed through ITEP have had on drug treatment and supporting the delivery of ITEP training to other substance misuse services.
‘the idea of mapping is not new, but in the context of drug treatment, has proved to be an invaluable tool for clarifying communication between key worker and client; helping with problem definition and identifying causes, consequences and solution options. The added value is the easy-to-read instant summaries of key work sessions which are useful for both the client and key worker and valuable in clinical supervision. This tool helps remind ourselves of the importance of the therapeutic relationship between key worker and client and provides us with opportunities to reflect on that...This is essential training for all staff and managers working in drug treatment’. Martin Brown Client Services Director at Blenheim CDP.
For details of Blenheim CDP's ITEP Training & Consultancy Programme please click go to our ITEP Training Page.
Posted 12 December 2007