PCOMS: An Evidence Based Practice which Supports Positive Outcomes with System Involved Youth!

Pamela Parkinson, Ph.D., LCSW and Annya Shapiro, LMFT

Training Description

The root of many controversies in our field is the important question: “what works with our system involved youth”. Is success based on the use of specialized techniques or do other factors account for the change? This Evidence-Based Practice, called PCOMS (Partners for Change Outcome Management System), is a client-directed and outcome-informed process which is focused on partnering with clients and getting their feedback in order to develop and sustain a therapeutic alliance. Study the Outcome Rating and Satisfaction Rating Scales as a means of understanding our clients’ needs and developing the kind of relational alliance that leads to improved success and positive outcomes for system involved youth and their families.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to identify the 3 ingredients necessary to build a therapeutic alliance with system involved youth.

2. Participants will be able to identify the 4 domains within which information is gathered via feedback (from our system involved youth and their families) on the Outcome Rating Scale and explain how these support positive outcomes.  

3. Participants will be able to build a script for how to invite system involved youth to authentically give us feedback on the Session Rating Scale and practice this.  

Agenda

10:00 – 10:15 AM      Sign In

10:15 – 11:00 AM     Discussion of why feedback from system involved youth is important in our

understanding of their progress on their goals and on us knowing about how the

therapeutic alliance is doing.

11:00 – 11:45 AM The Dodo Verdict and the problems with transporting Evidence Based

Practices into our organizations.

11:45 – 12:00 PM   BREAK (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

12:00 – 12:30 PM    Review of the factors that actually account for change in our system involved

youth and the contributions of each.

12:30 – 1:15 PM Analysis of the PCOMS tools called the Outcome Rating Scale and the

Session Rating Scale, how these are used with our youth, and how the

domains reflect the necessary ingredients for creating/sustaining the

therapeutic alliance (which is the number one most important ingredient to achieving positive

outcomes).

1:15 – 1:45 PM LUNCH (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

1:45 – 2:15 PM Review of video clips utilizing the PCOMS tool called the Outcome

Rating Scale.

2:15 – 2:45 PM  Paired Practice with the Outcome Rating Scale:  how to introduce this tool, score and

discuss it with the system involved youth and their family.

2:45 – 3:00 PM BREAK (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

3:00 – 3:30 PM Review of video clips utilizing the PCOMS tool called the Session

Rating Scale.

3:30 – 4:15 PM Small group work and practice on how to develop a script for briefly

introducing this in a way that will encourage a youth and their family members to honestly

respond to it.

4:15 – 4:25 PM Large group sharing of questions so that you can start to use these

tools in your very next meetings with our youth!

4:25 – 4:30   Evaluations and ADJOURNMENT

Meet Our Trainer

Pamela Parkinson, PhD, LCSW, is a clinical psychologist and clinical social worker, whose specialty area is working with youth and their families. Dr. Parkinson has spent most of her career working with system involved youth in our Continuum of Care (foster care, juvenile justice, mental health and the kids struggling in our school systems). She is a certified PCOMS evidence-based practice trainer. Pamela currently works as a child/family consultant to CBO’s in the Bay Area and has worked in level 14 residential, NPS, hospitals, and a variety of community-based settings including outpatient clinics, schools, diversion, kinship, etc.

Annya Shapiro, LMFT | Executive Director, Daly City Youth Health Center:  Annya, LMFT, joined DCYHC as Director of Behavioral Health in 2020 and has dedicated over 15 years to providing youth and families with trauma-informed mental health support services. Annya is passionate about family work and training clinicians to provide the best possible mental health care for the most vulnerable members of our community. Annya’s commitment to community mental health is evident in her innovative and collaborative approach to identifying and meeting the needs of the communities she serves. She believes that lasting mental health is best achieved when healing and support is extended beyond the individual to families, schools, and communities.  Annya has been promoted to Executive Director of DCYHC but continues to support the center with clinical supervision and training.

This course meets the qualifications for (5.5) BBS CE Hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.