Psychiatric rehabilitation and staff development: Educational and organizational models

Despite their demonstrated success in several research studies, the social learning strategies that comprise psychiatric rehabilitation have not been widely used to care for severely mentally ill patients in real-world settings. One way this deficiency has been addressed is by educating staff on how to use these strategies. Staff members who participate in educational approaches to staff development — based on principles of operant and vicarious learning — quickly acquire the rehabilitation skills and are able to perform them competently. However, follow-up research suggests that organizational barriers impede the subsequent introduction and maintenance of newly acquired skills at the home program. Organizational development strategies attempt to overcome barriers like staff burnout and insufficient collegial support by helping the line-level treatment team develop a user-friendly rehabilitation program that meets the teamʹs perceptions of appropriate intervention. The purpose of this review is to compare and contrast the educational and organizational models of staff development. This comparison will outline directions for future efforts at developing effective rehabilitation programs.