Large-Scale Evaluation of Satisfaction, Intent to Use, and Confidence with an Online Learning Course for a Well-Established, Evidence-Based Trauma Treatment: TFCBTWeb2.0

ABSTRACT

Web-courses for learning evidence-based treatments (EBTs) are increasingly being used to improve the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices in psychology. Most research on web-courses has focused on engagement and knowledge acquisition, and limited research has evaluated learner satisfaction with training and intent to use EBTs. Further, even when aspects of satisfaction and learner intentions are examined, factors that may contribute to these variables are often overlooked. The current study sought to address these limitations by examining individual, training, and system level factors related to web-course satisfaction, intent to use EBTs, and confidence working with trauma-exposed families following completion of TFCBTWeb2.0, a publicly available web-course for trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). Data from 80,749 learners who completed TFCBTWeb2.0 and who represented a wide range of professionals were examined. Most learners (>90%) were satisfied with the course, intended to use the material, and had high confidence about working with trauma-exposed families. Moreover, those learners who completed the course more slowly (vs. faster completion time) and had more knowledge gain, as well as those who enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic (vs. pre-pandemic), reported higher satisfaction with the course. Collectively, these results highlight the need to examine both individual and system level factors when considering web-course satisfaction, intent to use EBTs, and confidence working with client populations. Suggestions for TF-CBT trainers and supervisors are provided for how to improve training and learners’ willingness to use TF-CBT.

Disclosure statement

Dr. McGuire and Dr. Rancher have no conflicts to disclose. Dr. Smith is the Course Director for TFCBTWeb2.0. Although he does not receive compensation directly from online course revenues, he does have access to, and decision-making power to spend, funds from the courses to support further development of the web-course. Mr. Glover is the data manager and systems analyst for the web-course and receives a portion of his compensation from the revenue of the web-course.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/23794925.2024.2324760.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for TFCBTWeb2.0 was supported by a variety of sources, including a subcontract (Daniel Smith, Ph.D., subcontract director) to grant award No. [5U79SM061257] from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Project Director: Judith Cohen). Dr. McGuire was supported by grant T32MH018869 from the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Rancher was supported by grant [K99HD111677] from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.