JARBA - Edizione 2014
- BBS-OBM: Cultura e Valori I
- BBS-OBM: Esperienze Aziendali
- BBS-OBM: Formazione efficace
- BBS-OBM: Cultura e Valori II
- CLIN-EDU Terapie Cogn. Comp.
- CLIN-EDU Approcci di 3° Gen.
Public Lectures – 27th June 2014 Building an Ideal Safety Culture
Steve Roberts. Ph.D. (Safety Performance Solutions, Blacksburg)
Abstract
Organizations have historically focused on improving safety by addressing the work environment. Eliminating/mitigating hazards, providing better tools and equipment, and developing and enforcing safe procedures are all approaches that have understandably worked well at improving safety. But many organizations have reached a plateau, finding that relying primarily on these approaches without taking a more comprehensive view of safety produces only marginal gains. This paper will focus on the most important components of the environment (e.g., The Ideal Safety Culture) to most effectively support safe performance within an organization. These components of an Ideal Safety Culture include: Leadership, Systems, Behaviors, Employee Engagement, Internal Person Factors, and Physical Conditions. The concept of Internal Person Factors will also be integrated into a behavioral framework.
BBS, un processo continuo: Adattarlo e mantenerlo nel tempo
Simposio (27 giugno 2014)
Sicurezza comportamentale e sanità. Risultati preliminari di un processo avviato all’interno di un Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico
Piero Cappelletti, Matilde Carlucci, Francesco De Marchi, Sergio Moro (IRCCS – Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano)
Introduzione
L'Organizzazione sostiene le proprie decisioni quotidiane ed il proprio indirizzo strategico attraverso flussi strutturati di informazioni. Questi flussi, interni ed esterni all'organizzazione stessa, rivestono nell'impresa moderna un’importanza almeno pari a quella dei flussi di merci e di risorse finanziarie. Il processo decisionale in una organizzazione si avvicinerà quindi al risultato atteso, tanto più i dati risultino esatti e scientificamente misurati. Questi dati rimarranno comparabili e declinabili in tutti i settori dell’organizzazione. H. Mintzberg (1979) descrive quali sono i meccanismi di coordinamento e controllo, che dipendono dalla filosofia, dalle dimensioni, dallo scopo e dall’ambiente in cui l’organizzazione si muove…
Risultati preliminari di un processo di BBS avviato all’interno di un cantiere in galleria
Marco Ferraro (Condotte S.p.A.), Marco Guerrini (Consorzio Condotte Cossi)
Abstract
Con oltre 130 anni di storia la Società Italiana per Condotte d’Acqua è l’impresa di costruzioni più antica d’Italia, e nel panorama europeo si colloca ai primi posti nel campo della realizzazione di grandi opere civili e di infrastrutture. Una delle 27 Unità Produttive è la Galleria di Base del Ceneri (GbC) a Sigirino (Ti, CH), in appalto alla consortile Condotte-Cossi, che consiste nella realizzazione di un tunnel ferroviario a doppia canna della lunghezza di 15,4 Km per un totale di oltre 30.000 ml di scavo. Un’attenta analisi degli andamenti infortunistici, pur al di sotto della media di settore in territorio elvetico, ha convinto la Direzione a porsi degli obiettivi di miglioramento delle condizioni di sicurezza di tutte le aree lavorative ed in particolare quelle svolte in galleria. Il Management del reparto HSE, supportato dalla Presidenza che identifica nella sicurezza il nostro migliore investimento, ha individuato in questa unità uno dei siti idonei in cui applicare in maniera proficua il processo B-BS in quanto, nonostante l’intrinseca dinamicità, tenuto conto dell’attenzione alla materia del Committente ATG, della puntuale programmazione di tutte le attività, si evidenzia una certa ciclicità delle lavorazioni che ormai sono gestite in maniera sistematica. Questa prerogativa consente di censire e settorializzare una gamma di comportamenti “osservabili e misurabili”, e di conseguenza di poter valutare l’applicabilità del metodo scientifico anche al settore delle costruzioni. I risultati del cantiere “pilota” Galleria di Base del Ceneri, costituiranno la base per l’applicazione della B-BS alle altre Unità Produttive del gruppo Condotte S.p.A.
Keywords: Tunnel, HSE, Comportamenti, Behavior Based Safety
Baltimore Aircoil: A successful integration of OBM and B-BS into Lean Manufacturing environment
Luciano Falciani, Flavio Volonté (Baltimore Aircoil Italia, Chiuro)
Abstract
Baltimore Aircoil started in 2006 a global Lean Manufacturing project involving all the plants in US and EU.
In the Italian manufacturing Plant in Chiuro, together with the coil production line renewal, managers group promoted a sustainable B-BS project promoting behaviors targeted not only to safety but quality and efficiency as well.
The project, still ongoing, was set up during an ambitious redefinition of the department layout building new structures and introducing modern equipment and machinery. Startup phase last 8 weeks included a specific OBM training for shop floor leaders and the definition of observations and promotion methods of desired behaviors.
Success is witnessed by all target reached and the drastic improvement in work environment perception by the operators.
Keywords: Organizational Behavior Management, Lean Manufacturing, Behavior-Based Safety, Quality, Efficiency
Extending a BBS process in Poland starting from the Italian plant practice
Marco Tremolada (Weir Gabbioneta Srl, Sesto San Giovanni)
Abstract
After the very good result reached with BBS process in enhancing safety level in the workshop of its Italian plants, during 2013 Weir Gabbioneta management decided to set up a BBS process also in the Weir Gabbioneta Poland plant based in Myszkow.
In Italian and Polish plants working activities are very similar, but layout and cultural background are different (e.g. the spoken language).
The challenge was to keep the experience of the Italian BBS process and to adjust a new BBS process in the Polish reality in order to achieve the same success in obtaining a safety culture.
Keywords: Adjustment, BBS Maintenance, Cultural challenges, Safety culture
Passare da una patente a punti a un processo BBS per ottenere comportamenti sicuri volontari
Alessandro Maccari (OMA Group)
Premessa
OMA GROUP, Officina Metalmeccanica Angelucci, è stata fondata nel 1981 dal Sig. Antonio Angelucci e oggi opera in tutta Europa e nel mondo. Nei suoi 5 stabilimenti in Italia realizza attività metalmeccaniche e in particolare piping, strutture metalliche, apparecchiature meccaniche con scambiatori, piccoli serbatoi, air cooler. OMA è impegnata poi in diversi cantieri in tutto il mondo presso i clienti finali per l’installazione degli impianti…
The importance of coaching BBS process regular reviews and Corporate Management involvement in order to maintain safety results
Alessandro Merlo (Heineken International B.V.)
Based on the experience of Heineken Italy, this article describes the main challenges faced to maintain the BBS process in the four Italian breweries. It highlights the importance of the coaching process in order to ensure good quality of behavioral observations and safety meetings, the key role of follow-up and integration of BBS in the Company management system and the need to involve Corporate.
It also shows how BBS can improve safety results when it is part of a comprehensive safety strategy which embraces all the necessary aspects to have a safe working environment: process and technical safety, methods, procedures and management system.
Keywords: Behavior Based Safety, coaching, continuous improvements, compliance, management system
Performance based training: to achieve the education purpose
Simposium (27th June 2014)
Accelerating and Sustaining Behavior Change in a Rapidly Changing World
Aubrey C. Daniels, Ph.D. (Aubrey Daniels International, Atlanta)
The world is changing fast. Really fast. New products, services and knowledge are appearing at exponential rates. Unfortunately, the understanding of behavior is creeping along in this exponential world. Most people don’t understand even the basic of the principles of behavior…
Helping companies to achieve their Business goals through Technology Enhanced Learning: Technology is useless without evidence based teaching method
Michele Sesana (TXT e-Solution, Milan)
Abstract
The TELLME project (Technology Enhanced Learning Living Labs for Manufacturing Environments, www.tellme-ip.eu) – co-founded by the European Commission – aims at proposing innovative learning methods to manufacturers; so they can better supply the needs of their markets.
Training is a key aspect to take into consideration for companies in order to achieve their business goals: only a perfectly trained team of Blue Collar Workers (BCW) can constantly provide master performances during daily activities and quickly reacting to new situation or emergencies.
The peculiarity of the project the definition of a new meta-methodology, implemented in an innovative architecture, called eMeMO (enquiry, Mix, experience, Match and Optimisation) aiming at addressing the training of BCW directly at workplace and continuously observe their behavior for optimizing the training based on the evidence of the effect of the teaching method/s on workers performances. The methodology is currently under trial in a specific scenario aiming at mastering performances of BCW doing maintenance activities on helicopters; in particular for improving the management of tools to avoid Foreign Object Damage (FOD).
Keywords: Training at workplace, Internet of Things, Behavior-Based Safety
Learning at fluency level to discriminate fire risks and to remember emergency procedures through the Precision Teaching
Alessandro Valdina (AARBA, Milano), Matteo Meroni (Mega Italia Media, Brescia)
Abstract
The E-learning – whichever is the platform in use – always faces the risk to replicate old training methods that do not have evidences to provoke learning in students. Scrolling slides, reading text, watching videos, listening to a trainer, etc. are teaching strategy based on antecedent stimuli, i.e. less effective than any consequence based training. Precision Teaching (PT) is a method that 1) focuses on directly observable behaviors, 2) measures both accuracy and speed of the answers given by the student 3) provides immediate feedback. These features are important to achieve fluency, i.e. doing things properly, with minimum latency, and without fatigue. The fluency is fundamental in most of human activities (speaking, writing, assembly, etc.) and particularly in emergency situations: this is the reason why authors and they related organizations decided to develop a PT course via e-learning in order to train remotely and effectively white collars responsible of evacuation and intervention during a fire. Thanks to this PT course – developed through a third party software – employees will learn to follow procedures by heart, to recognize signals and fire risk in their work environment, to wear correctly fire PPEs, to communicate effectively during an emergency, to use the extinguisher related to the combustible in fire.
Keywords: E-Learning, Fire Intervention, Evacuation, Emergency Training
Public Lectures – 28th June 2014
Changing an organizational culture with behavioral strategies in order to deliver the expected results
Nirvana Pistoljevic (Teachers College, Columbia University)
Abstract
Changing a culture, a set of rules that guide behavior of a group is no easy task even for people that specialize in behavior change. Organizations are complex systems, and as we have our science and principles of it, complexity has its own.
I will try to share with you my experiences as a behavior analyst and a team leader who has for the past four years worked on creating a new cybernetic system with new set of values in order to change a culture in an outdated teaching environment. I will share with you a set of evidence-based practices that helped me achieve a cultural change or at least to start one in hope that once I am gone, the system implemented will self-evolve and self-manage, therefore be self-sustainable.
Keywords: Behavioral System Analysis, Organizational Change, Organizational Behavior Management in Education, Values and Culture
Strategies for Reducing At Risk Behavior and Improving Hazard Recognition
Steve Roberts. Ph.D. (Safety Performance Solutions, Blacksburg)
Abstract
Complex systems require a great deal of human contribution to maintain productivity, quality, and safety. Human error is the inevitable by-product of our necessary involvement in complex systems. To eliminate human error would require us to eliminate the best source of creativity, flexibility, and problem solving ability. Therefore regarding errors, our purpose should be to understand the sources of error, predict when errors are most likely to occur and predict which errors will lead to the most serious negative outcomes (injury, property/environmental damage, reduced quality). We can then design or modify the system/job to reduce error, develop personal strategies to reduce individual error, and implement safeguards to mitigate negative outcomes when errors occur. Additional topics include why people don’t accurately perceive risk and why we don’t always act on the risks we identify. We will also focus on hazard recognition traps that prevent us from seeing the hazards most likely to cause injury.
Keywords: Human error, Hazard recognition
Strategies for Achieving a World Class Safety Culture
Grainne A. Matthews (Quality Safety Edge, Texas)
Abstract
Behavioural safety is a proven technology based on the established science of behaviour. When implemented with fidelity, it can dramatically improve safety performance, i.e., the rate of occupational illnesses and injuries among employees. What has also emerged in 40 years of implementation in a wide variety of industries and countries, is that behavioural safety can also improve safety culture.
Keywords: Behavioural Safety, Safety Culture
The Critical Role of Relationship and Trust in a Safety Culture
Aubrey C. Daniels, Ph.D. (Aubrey Daniels International, Atlanta)
Abstract
Although every organization has a safety culture, many of them are defined by activities that are not supported by the organization’s mission, vision and values statements that adorn the wall of the office waiting room and web pages. While the company extolls virtues, the culture is often riddled with the opposite. Failure to report injury is more common than those who compile the reports know. Putting negative results in a favorable light is a profession in the United States. Lawyers argue arcane and trivial points in order for the company to avoid negative consequences of a bad culture. When the press puts a favorable spin on a bad situation or the legal department denies culpability, it unfortunately and inadvertently supports the bad culture.
Although some companies are characterized by trying to see what they can get by with in order to avoid costs and accountability, most are trying to do the right thing but are indirectly supporting a culture that is the opposite of what they want.
Values are easy to teach when you know the behaviors involved and understand the critical role of positive reinforcement in the process of teaching. Without a good relationship and trust positive reinforcement is not possible. Positive reinforcement is not natural in most safety cultures. It must be cultivated and supported at all levels of management.
Keywords: Trust, Culture, Relationship
Sessione clinica
Simposio (27 giugno 2014)
A new self-report instrument for depression: Teate Depression Inventory (TDI)
Aristide Saggino, Michela Balsamo (Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Chieti)
Abstract
The Teate Depression Inventory (TDI; Balsamo & Saggino, 2013) is a new self-report instrument of depression constructed with Rasch analysis. This presentation describes the TDI construction from a larger pool of items elicited through a consensus approach by clinical experts according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria for the major depressive episode. TDI displayed good psychometric properties, with an excellent Person Separation Index and no evidence of bias due to an item-trait interaction. Research results provided support for the internal consistency, unidimensionality, differential item functioning, and discrimination ability between clinical and nonclinical subjects. TDI is a valid instrument to be used in the screening for depression and in particular in the assessment of depressive severity across treatment, due to its shortness and manageability.
Keywords: Depression, Self-report instrument, TDI
Il trattamento delle fobie “estreme”
Enrico Rolla, Stefania Durando, Sonya Sabbatino (Istituto Watson, Torino)
Abstract
Le fobie specifiche sono tra i disturbi psicologici più comuni ((Kessler et al. 2005); tuttavia raramente sono la primaria motivazione per la quale gli individui intraprendono un trattamento terapeutico (Brown et al. 2001b). Siccome le fobie specifiche sono raramente il focus dell’attenzione clinica, c’è la diffusa, quanto errata convinzione che la fobia specifica sia una patologia semplice e di facile risoluzione. Inoltre, poiché la paura è solitamente limitata a stimoli fobici ben definiti a raramente comporta ansia pervasiva, si tende a credere che le fobie siano disturbi meno gravi di altri. Al contrario, il quadro clinico di una persona affetta da fobia può essere molto differente: l’individuo può andare incontro a gravi conseguenze e impedimenti nella vita quotidiana a livello lavorativo, sociale e anche sanitario (Wittchen et al. 1998). Le fobie sono inoltre spesso associate a profili complessi, comorbidità con depressione, sintomi psicofisiolofici, evitamenti, pensieri disfunzionali. L’ intervento psicologico ritenuti trattamento d’elezione per questo disturbo è l’esposizione; la maggioranza delle persone affette da fobie che viene sottoposta a sedute di terapia d’esposizione mostrano importanti miglioramenti e remissione dei sintomi spesso in tempi brevi. L’obiettivo della realizzazione della serie docu-reality “The Fear Doctor” consiste nel far conoscere al pubblico su larga scala i trattamenti più efficaci. Le 10 puntate riguardano fobie di ragni, serpenti, gallerie, topi, guidare l’auto, squali, lucertole, galline, volare e urinare in luoghi pubblici.
Keywords: Fobia, Ansia, Trattamenti evidence based, Terapia di esposizione
Developing a Flexible Self
Louise McHugh (University College Dublin)
Abstract
Only humans have a sense of self. This sense of self can be a double edged sword. On the one hand it allows us to identify our passions and values and live in accordance with them sacrificing short term gains for more meaningful long term gains. However, this self concept that we hold so tightly can also result in rigidity that traps us from living in meaningful ways. The self has been recognised as a critically important aspect of human psychology. A functional approach to understanding the self would be invaluable in informing intervention to help those with self related problems. The current paper articulates a three step approach to a healthy self concept grounded in Contextual Behavioural Science.
Keywords: Training, SME, Instructional Design, Behavior-Based Safety, Goal setting
FACT: L’approccio Focused ACT per interventi brevi ed efficaci
Roberto Cattivelli, Alessandro Musetti, Arianna Gatti (Università di Parma)
Abstract
L’Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) si sta rapidamente imponendo come un approccio all’intervento clinico di matrice comportamentale efficace e dalle convincenti basi empiriche (Hayes, Strosahl & Wilson, 2011). L’obiettivo degli interventi ACT-oriented è di promuovere la Flessibilità Psicologica, a sua volta connessa con importanti outcome di cambiamento comportamentale socialmente rilevante. L’elaborazione FACT (Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) mira a condensare i tradizionali protocolli ACT in interventi brevissimi, adatti ai contesti dove percorsi tradizionali, di durata e costi maggiori, faticano a trovare spazio (Strosahl, Robinson & Gustavsson, 2012), e propone protocolli flessibili ed individualizzabili di 3-6 incontri, in grado di produrre un cambiamento comportamentale misurabile.
Si è applicato un protocollo FACT per promuovere il cambiamento attraverso misure empiriche, oggettive e quantitative, utilizzando un disegno sperimentale a soggetto singolo ripetuto (multiple probes design). Si è confrontata una condizione di ascolto attivo utilizzata per la baseline e si è poi introdotto il protocollo FACT in momenti diversi per ciascun partecipante.
Sono state utilizzate misure per la treatment fidelity e check-list per la presa di decisioni e le rilevazioni. I risultati preliminari indicano un incremento dei comportamenti adattivi ed un decremento di quelli disfunzionali.
Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Brief Intervention, Psychotherapy Outcomes, Treatment Fidelity
Le applicazioni della Mindfullness nello stress lavoro correlato
Carlo Di Berardino, Anna. Bartoccini (CPC – Centro di Psicologia Clinica, Pescara)
Abstract
La relazione tra stress e patologia è stata oggetto, nel corso degli anni, di numerosi approfondimenti, che a cominciare dagli anni 60 (Seley, 64) hanno riconosciuto il ruolo dello stress in molti disturbi d’ansia e in diversi problemi di natura psicosomatica.
D‘altra parte ben note sono le conseguenze che lo stress può determinare sul funzionamento del sistema nervoso vegetativo e sui processi di regolazione delle emozioni; le cure farmacologiche tradizionali si sono dimostrate inefficaci nel risolvere tali problemi a causa della progressiva cronicizzazione che spesso determina lesioni organiche irreversibili, come ad esempio quelle relative al sistema cardiovascolare (ipertensione arteriosa, infarto del miocardio).
Negli ultimi anni per effetto della crisi economica l’esposizione allo stress viene attribuita sempre più spesso all’ambiente di lavoro. Dati statistici riportano come lo stress lavoro correlato colpisca circa il 22% dei lavoratori dell’Unione Europea e il 41% di quelli italiani.
Evidenze scientifiche recenti (Siegel,2013; Williams, Teasdal, 2007; Cloninger, 1999) indicano come la pratica della meditazione, in particolare la Mindfulness (l’esercizio dell’attenzione consapevole), si sia rivelata efficace per combattere lo stress e favorire il benessere psicofisico.
Gli autori presentano un protocollo simile a quello della Mindfullness-Based Stress Reduction di Kabat Zinn spiegando quali sono i principi che lo rendono efficace per combattere lo stress e come grazie a tale pratica sia possibile controllare e modificare le reazioni disadattive prodotte da quei fattori che vengono individuati come causa di stress lavoro correlato.
Keywords: Mindfullness, Stress lavoro correlato
CBT per le Psicosi: quali evidenze?
Andrea Alpi, Laura Bislenghi, Anna Meneghelli (Scuola ASIPSE, Milano)
Abstract
Il movimento dell’Intervento precoce, le evidenze scientifiche e l’esperienza clinica ad esso connesse hanno portato in primo piano la centralità degli interventi psicoterapeutici e psicosociali nel trattamento dei disturbi psicotici. Le linee guida internazionali e la ricerca più recente riconoscono infatti alla CBT un primato di efficacia, così da essere raccomandata in ogni fase del disturbo, da sola o associata ad altre strategie di trattamento, con un passaggio concettuale ed applicativo dalla cronicità alle situazioni di rischio, dai setting di ricerca al real world, da protocolli rigidamente codificati a un accento posto sulla individuale formulazione del caso. (SNL, 2007; Wykes 2008; Bird 2010; NICE 2011).
La CBT è letta infatti come un sistema aperto e flessibile, in grado di adattarsi alle richieste presentate dalle nuove conoscenze sulla malattia e sui processi che influenzano i sintomi, dalle nuove situazioni e contesti di cura, dalle storie personali delle persone colpite dal disturbo o a rischio di esso, dalla multidimensionalità degli obiettivi collegati al concetto di recovery.
Nel presente lavoro verranno prese in esame le procedure cognitivo-comportamentali che si possono impiegare con efficacia comprovata dalle evidenze scientifiche nel trattamento di questo importante spettro di disturbi, con particolare attenzione alle strategie di aggancio e di concettualizzazione del caso, alla psicoeducazione con il paziente e i familiari, alle tecniche per il fronteggiamento della sintomatologia positive e negativa e dei problemi correlati, alla prevenzione delle ricadute.
Keywords: Psicosi, CBT, efficacia
Can CBT work for OCD with minimal therapist contact? Meta-analysis of low intensity CBT trials
Davide Dèttore, Andrea Pozza (Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence)
Paolo Antonelli (Miller Institute, Genoa/Florence)
Gerhard Andersson (Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University)
Abstract
Background. Therapist-administered Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). However, patients’ access to CBT is limited by factors including geographic limitations, and lack of CBT services. Some evidence suggests that Low Intensity Cognitive-Behavioural Treatments (LI-CBTs) could be an effective strategy to improve patients’ access to CBT. To date a meta-analysis on LI-CBTs for OCD has not been conducted yet.
Aims. The current study used meta-analytic techniques to summarize data on the effectiveness of LI-CBTs for OCD, and investigate the role of potential outcome moderators, including socio-demographic characteristics of participants, OCD severity, treatment duration, and type of LI-CBTs.
Method. Treatments were defined as LI-CBTs if including evidence-based CBT active ingredients for OCD (psychoeducation, exposure with response prevention, cognitive restructuring), delivered through self-help books (bibliotherapy) or devices like CD-Roms, DVDs, telephones, computerized software packages or the internet (computer-delivered CBT). Studies were included if they evaluated LI-CBTs for patients with a primary OCD and validated outcome measures for OCD. Fifteen studies (N= 655) met inclusion criteria.
Results. LI-CBTs for OCD seemed to be effective across outcomes at post-test (d= 0.96, p< .05). LI-CBTs were more effective for participants with lower age. Computer-delivered CBTs were significantly more effective than bibliotherapy (Q= 4.16, p< .05). OCD severity and treatment duration were not significantly associated with outcome.
Conclusions. Implications for practice and directions in terms of policy-making are discussed. Large randomized controlled trials are required to compare LI-CBTs with CBT, and also examine which types of patients benefit most from CBT and which from LI-CBTs. To examine treatment gains maintenance, further studies with follow-up assessment are needed.
Keywords: Low intensity cognitive-behavioural treatments, Obsessive-compulsive disorder,Cognitive-behavioural therapy, Meta-analysis.
Live life: an integrated co-therapy intervention for complex patients
Elena Luisetti, Raffaella Berto, Manuel Cegalin (Istituto Wolpe, Besozzo)
Maurizio Agnesa (Università Telematica e-campus)
Abstract
Objective: To present an integrated co-therapy intervention model for complex patients suffering from major depression in comorbidity with a personality disorder, which has been carried out since 5 years in our institution, and to illustrate its effectiveness.
Methods: The intervention was carried out on a sample of 40 patients aged between 18 and 50 years. Theories of reference: CBT depression treatment and Linehan’s co-therapy. The psychotherapeutic path provided the intervention form various therapists who have worked in an integrated manner on a single shared project. In a multiple setting providing both individual and group therapy, the initial stages of treatment primarily focused on motor re-activation, suicidal behaviors reduction and the acquisition of mindfulness skills accompanied by emotional, behavioral and cognitive validation strategies. In later stages of treatment skills training, problem solving, gradual exposure and cognitive modification were provided in order to promote change.
Conclusions: The model adopted has demonstrated co-therapy effectiveness in maintaining and completing treatment, making significant changes in the global and social functioning and in preventing drop-outs of complex patients.
Keywords: Depression, Co-therapy, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Personality disorder, mindfulness.
Sessione Clinica Plenaria
(28 giugno 2014)
The Science of Teaching; How to Motivate and Train Educators to be Better at What they Do
Nirvana Pistoljevic (Teachers College, Columbia University)
Abstract
Advancing educators’ (teachers, pedagogues, psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, special education teachers, etc.) repertoires of expertise is directly correlated with their students and clients learning outcomes. Creating a motivating and engaging environment that promotes learning is the key for successful transfer of knowledge.
Keywords: Teacher Training, Instruction Design, Behavior-Based Model of Education, Classroom Management, Teacher Motivation, Student Motivation
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for adult Asperger Sindrome
Antonio D’Ambrosio (University of Naples, Italy)
Abstract
With the recent growth in awareness of autism spectrum disorders, there are increasing numbers of adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) seeking diagnosis and help for their problems in daily living. Adult patients typically come to a therapist for help with social problems that they are attributing to AS/HFA, and/or for help with secondary psychiatric disorders, most commonly anxiety or mood symptoms.
Chronic stress comes with a dramatically uneven profile of strengths and deficits. Generally bright and often successful with academic pursuits, they struggle in the interpersonal domain of functioning.
People with AS/HFA have an idiosyncratic way of processing both social and non-social information that has been present since birth or early childhood. Their unique perception has in some ways adversely affected their development and social experiences, resulting in negative consequences. It causes them to exhibit behavior that is can cause them to look different or to be unappealing to others and also leads to impairment in non-social areas of functioning, such as organization and self-direction, which increases the level of stress in daily living.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is becoming more widely perceived as a viable treatment modality for individuals with AS/HFA, and some authors have recommended the use of it.
These adults can learn to re-conceptualize social interactions and become more able to more accurately “read” the behavior of others.
For adults with AS/HFA, this means to:
• teach new cognitive and behavioral skills that were never learned
• teach compensatory strategies for deficits that cannot be changed
• facilitate self-acceptance
• teach strategies to decrease or prevent symptoms of co-morbid mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders and depression .
Keywords: Asperger Syndrome, Adult,HFA, CBT
A functional Analytic Account of Perspective Taking
Louise McHugh (University College Dublin)
Abstract
Understanding the self and others is a complex form of cognition that has been the subject of much psychological and philosophical theorizing. Some researchers have suggested pre-wired organic processes while others view the development of these abilities as ‘experience driven’ or learnt. Much of the current literature links understanding the self and perspective taking to language. However, numerous questions remain unanswered concerning the functional determinants of language itself and perspective-taking. Relational Frame Theory is a functional analytic approach that accounts for the development of language and higher cognition in terms of learned generalized patterns of relational responding referred to as arbitrary relational responding (ARR). The current talk will focus on how empirically grounded and pragmatically oriented research is being applied to training self-understanding and perspective-taking in typically developing children as well as remediating deficits in these areas in the developmental clinical arena.
Keywords: Perspective Taking, Relational Frame Theory, Autistic Spectrum Conditions, Contextual Behavioural Science