ActionResearch

"Empirically supported treatments (ESTs) are interventions that have been found to be efficacious for one or more psychological conditions, like major depression, panic disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Prior to the 1990s, there were no specific guidelines for either practitioners or mental health consumers regarding which treatments to select for which conditions. " "Because ESTs are manualized, they necessarily constrain clinical creativity. To some extent, this criticism is based on a caricature of manualized therapies. Treatment manuals do not necessarily mandate fixed responses to patients' verbal behaviors in therapy; instead, most manuals provide flexible guidelines for how to proceed at different stages of treatment. Moreover, increasing numbers of treatment manuals afford therapists considerable leeway to respond flexibly to differing patient trajectories within treatment. "

The chapter headings make this book seem relevant to Action Research that emphasizes reflection.

access to materials from 2011 conference

Response to questions of their paper that claimed that retrieval practice produced meaningful learning of concepts and did so better than concepts mapping

Questions a paper that claimed that retrieval practice produced meaningful learning of concepts and did so better than concepts mapping

Dean Ornish's organization. Journal artciles evaluating effects

Reynolds, leader of Chicago study of early childhood interventions, discusses the need "to identify... the causal mechanisms or active ingredients of intervention effects"

A range of approaches loosely linked by the value of getting people to tell stories about their lives. Some influence from White and Epston's narrative therapy in some chapters. A chapter of autobiographical narratives of people in the field (incl. Sternberg) mostly emphasizes who helped them on their paths; not much insight into how we address challenges.

Quite theoretical approach to evaluation that recognizes that the real world is not as neat as controlled scientific experiements

relevant to uptake (adoption and adaptation) of tools/processes learned in workshops and to building a constituency

checklist on resistance to change "The top reason for resistance by managers in the 2005 study [Prosci's 2005 Best Practices in Change Management] was loss of power and control, followed by an overload of current responsibilities and a lack of awareness of the need for change. Notice that none of the top reasons for resistance by managers or employees are related to the particular solution, rather they are tied to how the change is introduced and managed into these groups. "

"developmental evaluation" contrasted with traditional: Complexity-Based, Developmental Evaluations... provide feedback, generate learnings, support direction or affirm changes in direction. develop new measures and monitoring mechanisms as goals emerge & evolve. position evaluation as an internal, team function integrated into action and ongoing interpretive processes. design the evaluation to capture system dynamics, interdependencies, and emergent interconnections. aim to produce context-specific understandings that inform ongoing innovation. accountability centered on the innovators' deep sense of fundamental values and commitments. learning to respond to lack of control and stay in touch with what's unfolding and thereby respond strategically. evaluator collaborates in the change effort to design a process that matches philosophically and organizationally. evaluation supports hunger for learning.

"The ten major characteristics of Servant Leadership are: listening, empathy, healing relationships, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to human resource development, and commitment to building community."

"My own thinking is often unsettled by the dialogue process used in classroom discussions-issues get raised that I have not positioned in some framework that I would be able to convey to others."