What comes to mind when you hear the new treatment you’re delivering is evidence based? Probably a mix of good and not-so-good thoughts. On one hand, you’re excited to learn an approach that really works. On the other, you’re not exactly thrilled about another training and may already be dreading the rigid rules that, sadly, so many of these programs impose. At the end of your training, congratulations, you’ve been certified in “Another Evidence-Based Treatment.” But maybe now you believe you must follow all the rules and protocols word-for-word and fear that you might “get it wrong.”
We don’t roll that way at The Seven Challenges. We do expect you to read the manual and attend the training. That’s the starting point. But we can assure you that our program and implementation process are flexible. We don’t expect you to start as an expert. The world doesn’t work that way. Rather, we will support you in being successful as you find your own style and footing within the framework of the program.
Ongoing Support, Not Just Initial Training
After training, you’ve received the minimum needed to begin delivering The Seven Challenges. Notice the emphasis on minimum. That’s why we schedule our first support/professional development call one month later. Now, this call isn’t about checking to see whether you’re following the manual word-for-word (in fact, we hope you aren’t). It’s about helping you deliver the program in a way that’s consistent with the model, yet works best for you and your clients. By then, you’ll have a sense of what is working for you and where you could use more support — and that’s exactly what we want to provide.
Our commitment continues with quarterly calls focused on professional development. Just as our clients work on issues at each session, we believe clinicians also benefit from working on issues with their supervisors and with our training staff. The support/professional development calls are meant to create a space to bring questions, reflect on your counseling, and get guidance without judgment. They’re also a place to share your success and discuss how the program fits with your own organization. Just so you know, our clinical team uses the same process. We bring issues to our monthly call to support each other, share challenges, and keep improving in our work.
Flexibility Within a Framework
One concern we sometimes hear is that The Seven Challenges feels too rigid. If you’ve gotten that impression, we haven’t explained it well enough. Yes, there is a manual you have to read, a training to complete, and support calls — those guide and reinforce treatment quality. We provide a framework and teach skills. But when it comes to the actual counseling, we believe that quality service must be individualized. We put our trust in you.
No manual, no matter how well written, can capture the complexity of real clients’ lives or cover all the issues they are bringing to treatment. That’s why our program provides a framework rather than a rigid set of requirements. You’re encouraged to bring in your own skills and training to “meet clients where they are at.” Want to incorporate DBT skills with someone struggling with emotion dysregulation? Perfect. Relapse prevention planning? Please do. CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia) techniques for a client with sleep problems? Go for it. The Seven Challenges is built to work alongside your expertise, not against it.
One thing to consider with this. By providing you with a framework, there is an expectation that you will think carefully about how best to help each client. You won’t have a checklist or step-by-step, session-by-session guide about what to say, do, and think. This means you’ll have to do a bit more work than some other treatments require. But we believe this is necessary to deliver the best possible care for each and every client you work with. It also shows respect for our profession (it’s not a rote process) and for the expertise you bring to the table.
Why This Matters
Most, if not all, of us entered this field because we want to help people. Evidence-based treatments are designed with that same goal in mind, but often have a strict set of rules and requirements associated with them. At The Seven Challenges (yes, an evidence-based program), we share the commitment to quality, while also recognizing the importance of your clinical judgment. To that end, we seek to empower counselors by providing a framework rather than pre-scripted sessions, a series of psycho-social modules, or a curriculum to deliver. We place our trust in you and promise to support you in your continuing professional development to the best of our abilities. We use support calls and site visits (virtual or in-person) for that purpose.
This doesn’t mean you can mention the challenges and then spend the rest of the session working the 12 steps. But it does mean you can enrich the program by drawing on the skills and techniques you’ve already mastered. We believe this flexible approach ultimately leads to the best possible care for each client.