Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a type of counseling and psychological intervention that combines acceptance and mindfulness strategies with commitment and behavior-change strategies. Previously known as comprehensive distancing, it was developed in 1982 by Steven C. Hayes to combine cognitive and behavioral therapy. How is ACT used? ACT is intended to help clients increase…
Value-based payment (VBP) models and value-based care have been difficult to implement, and behavioral health in particular has been slow to adopt VBP models. However, this year saw significant changes toward the implementation of VBP that providers should know about. Key payers and providers, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), announced in…
This year has seen a lot of significant developments in behavioral health and addiction treatment. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories that made headlines across the nation in 2019. Multiple Opioid Lawsuit Results In August 2019, an Oklahoma judge ruled that consumer healthcare company Johnson & Johnson helped encourage the state’s…
Children and teens have unique and often complex behavioral health needs. Functional family therapy (FFT) is often used to address behavioral concerns in juveniles aged 11-18 years. Here is an overview of FFT and how it works. What does Functional Family Therapy involve? Developed by Drs. James Alexander and Bruce Parsons, FTT is a short-term…
As community leaders, health providers, and lawmakers work to address the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis, many parts of the United States are seeing a rise in other illicit substances. In many regions, this includes methamphetamine use and addiction. Methamphetamine, or meth, is chemically similar to amphetamine, used in the treatment of narcolepsy or attention-deficit hyperactivity…
Across the nation, many states and communities are working to address a variety of behavioral health challenges. Here is some of the behavioral health and addiction treatment news making headlines in California. Controversial California Law Could Force Conservatorship for Severe Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Under a law passed last year, the counties of San…
If you’re a behavioral health or addiction treatment professional who’s frustrated with your electronic health record (EHR) software, you’re definitely not alone. While EHR use has expanded nationwide, many clinicians continue to find them frustrating to use. Provider complaints about many EHR systems include a lack of interoperability, limited functionality, poor usability, and low personalization.…
BestNotes is excited to announce we have been named in the Top 20 Mental Health Software for 2019. We are so grateful for our customers in making this happen. We will continue to work towards “helping the helper”!
Since 1978, the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) has been working to advance addiction services and support its membership of service providers. To that end, NAATP has launched The Addiction Treatment Provider Quality Assurance Guidebook: A Guide to the Core Competencies for the Delivery of Addiction Treatment Services. Where did the NAATP Guidebook…
The BestNotes blog has been exploring different types of therapy used by addiction treatment and behavioral health providers. This time, we’re looking at motivational interviewing (MI). Motivational Interviewing Overview MI is a type of counseling that helps individuals resolve conflicting beliefs or feelings that have prevented healthy behavioral changes. It can be applied to individuals…