Convention, Tradition, and the New Wave : Assessing Clinician Identity within Behavior Therapy

In the first wave, behaviorists questioned the conventional wisdom that inner experience was relevant to understanding human behavior. In the 1970s, cognitive-behavioral theories emphasized the importance of the cognitive element, not just the environment, in explaining and modifying behavior. The third wave is drawn from advances in basic and applied behavior analysis of language, Eastern mystical traditions, and less empirically oriented therapeutic approaches. Examples include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (IBCT). This study reports a survey of clinicians and non-clinicians who self-identify with second or third wave approaches, and a group of undergraduate psychology students intended to represent a layperson or folk psychological approach. Their preferences, in the context of 10 clinical vignettes, among 5 different therapeutic responses or interventions that included "ACT-like," "cognitive," and commonsense or "neutral" options were measured. Third wave-oriented respondents exhibited more consistency than others in their preference for interventions that match their self-identified theoretical orientation, however the author suggests that construction of the vignettes may have influenced this result.

The New Strategic Onboarding Process

Onboarding is an important aspect of the employment process that has been often ignored. Overlooked onboarding results in high turnover costs, totaling up to 30 to 50 percent of an employee's first-year pay. To decrease this turnover and its associated high costs, this paper proposes the implementation of a highly strategic onboarding process. This process has a strategic focus, SMART goals, integrates multiple offices and people, and addresses all new employee needs with two considerations, generational and technological advances. An employee stays continuously and actively engaged, with vested interest in success, maximizing engagement and retention. The process focuses on constant and continuous feedback from all stakeholders. The project is a practical guide for implementing a new strategically focused onboarding process.