2 CE Hours
July 31, 2026, 9:00-11:00 am PST
August 1, 2026, 9:00-11:00 am PST
August 3, 2026, 9:00-11:00 am PST
Online (Zoom)
Training Provided by Marcia “Marcy” Smaha, LPC
NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Training
With the field of clinical mental health under ever-increasing pressure to conform to the medical model and meet insurance payer and state/federal standards, we hold the privilege of providing vital mental health services to our clients and the responsibility of making sure our clients can access the care that they need. Making the Case for Care: Outcomes, Feedback, and Medical Necessity explores how we can use client feedback and outcome data to strengthen clinical decision-making, improve treatment effectiveness, and clearly demonstrate medical necessity. The lecture component of this training will focus on a review of what factors impact therapy outcomes, what medical necessity actually means in relation to mental health, why using Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) is an evidence-based approach to help our clients access the care they need, and how to evaluate the appropriateness of several different FIT tools for your clinical work. Then, in small groups, attendees will work together using a fictional case study to practice incorporating FIT tools to monitor progress and guide collaborative treatment planning, with special emphasis on translating outcome measures into documentation that supports treatment need, justifies ongoing care, and provides objective evidence of clinical change. The training will close with a return to the large group for debrief of the practical exercise, as we discuss our final thoughts on Making the Case for Care.
Participants will:
Attendees will accurately define medical necessity in the context of mental health treatment.
Attendees will accurately define Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) and describe its relationship to evidence-based practice.
Attendees will identify 3 strong predictors of therapy outcomes and 3 weak/non-existent predictors of therapy outcomes.
Attendees will evaluate several different outcome and alliance measures using the concepts of reliability, validity, and feasibility, in order to select the best assessment tool for their practice.
In small groups, attendees will use a fictional case study to track change using an outcome measure, facilitate a collaborative treatment plan review with emphasis on showing medical necessity, and practice seeking and documenting client feedback.
About Marcy
Marcia “Marcy” Smaha is a cis-gender queer white woman born and raised in the Midwest who is an Oregon Licensed Professional Counselor #7386, National Board Certified Counselor, and OBLPCT Approved Supervisor. She is Co-director of Alive Counseling Clinic and co-authored the Oregon Health Authority Certificate of Approval application for that outpatient mental health practice, and currently oversees ongoing compliance with Oregon state certification standards, policies, procedures, as well as compliance to the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services standards. Marcy loves to combine her passion for self-responsibility with her passion for serving others, which means she loves working with clinicians to improve their clinical practice and advocacy efforts on behalf of clients. She currently supervises graduate mental health interns within the clinic, and provides Dungeons and Dragons Group Therapy in her capacity as a certified Game Master Counselor. When not at work, Marcy can be found playing music and singing, spending time with her wife and kids, and learning how to whittle.
Equity Pricing:
We are committed to making our trainings accessible while honoring the labor and expertise that make them possible. Equity pricing is available for BIPOC participants and individuals from historically marginalized communities.
Student Pricing:
Participants who register using student pricing will be asked to provide proof of student or intern status at check-in when applicable. Attendees who are unable to provide required documentation may be asked to pay the standard registration rate to attend.