Translating "Evidence-Based Practice"

Ok. First grab your scientist beaker and add some mysterious fluid inside of it...

Nope nooooope we're *not* going to go *too* scientific first thing on a Sunday morning!

(aside: Why are scientists spending so much time holding up beakers with fluids while wearing white coats? Aren't there vaccines to develop of somesuch? Ahem...moving on...)

The words “Evidence-Based Practice” get thrown around a lot in my professional life, and probably for most registered counsellors these days. But what IS it, actually? At the risk of turning off everyone who is NOT a counsellor, I thought I’d chat a bit about the concept this week.

But, in the off chance that you’re *not* working as a counsellor, I’m including a bit of a translation to maybe spark some ideas for how ANYone can apply this kind of philosophy to helping, teaching or leading others. If nothing else, I figure it’s a great blueprint for solutions to everyday life stresses.

In fact, some of these principles are so universal that I’m going to roll with a definition written for nurses (check out the whole article at):

I kind of love this definition! It makes some very important points that, although the site is directed at nurses, I feel can apply for anyone. Some key points they make of how to apply Evidence-Based Practice:

“1.ASK a question. Is there something in your clinical setting that you are wondering about? Perhaps you wonder if a new intervention is more effective than the one currently used. Ask yourself: What works well and what could be improved? And, more importantly, WHY? Evaluate the processes and workflow that impact, or are impacted by, the identified practice gap.”

Non-counsellor translation: What’s the problem? What are your senses telling you? How

about your feelings?

When you can’t sleep, or are run down, or nervous-what is it that needs attention?

When thoughts about past or future events grab your attention and won’t let go, what’s

the need?

“2. ACQUIRE the current evidence. You’ll do this by conducting a literature search. Your search will be guided by your clinical question.”

Non-counsellor translation: How long has this been a problem? How did it start? Then

do some poking around for possible fixes! Talk with people you trust, or admire, about

what they have tried.

Dig deeper than the first answer you get! Look up YouTube videos of trained

professionals addressing the need you have, to get a sense of what solutions worked for

them, then go back and read up on their training/experience.

Podcasts and audiobooks can be great ways of learning on-the-go, and often are fairly inexpensive, if you have access to the internet.”

“3. APPRAISE the literature. Or, in other words, sort, read, and critique peer-reviewed literature.”

Non-counsellor translation: Be critical about what you consider to be “facts!” Who came

up with this, and why? What’s their stake in this? Who’s paying their salary? (bear in

mind, their information might be solid, but knowing how they’re paying the bills might

shed light on possible biases!)

Try to get points of view beyond the people who only agree with you (but don’t go so far

as to be abused, or attacked!).

Great debates come from disagreements which may be intense, but are based in mutual

respect and developing new ideas, not “winning someone over”/overpowering them.

And, when (sorry, probably not “if!”) feelings get bruised, you work through it together!

“4. APPLY your findings to clinical decision-making. Integrate the evidence with clinical expertise and patient preferences and values. Then make evidence-based recommendations for day-to-day practice.

Non-counsellor translation: After you’ve looked at your options, try stuff! Resist

“Analysis Paralysis,” just reading and planning forever. Or, as a teacher I once had put it,

“Don’t be all Wind-Up and No Pitch!”

Of course, another perfectly good option is, “Make a clear decision NOT to try stuff.”

Maybe it’s not worth the risk, or you realize something ELSE matters more to you. Be

honest with yourself, it doesn’t hurt so much…and maybe less than the pain of putting

off a decision and later wondering “what if?”

“5. EVALUATE your outcomes. Review data and document your approach. Be sure to include any revisions or changes. Keep close tabs on the outcomes of your intervention. Evaluate and summarize the outcome.”

Non-counsellor translation: Did the stuff you tried work? How could it work better?

Is the heartache from the “Stuff You Decided Not To Try” unbearable?

What are new problems (return to step 1, to make even more progress!)

And, if failures happen, remember that “feelings of failure” are sometimes actually a

symptom of learning/developing healthier habits. Aren’t we all awkward at doing

something new?

“6. DISSEMINATE the information. Share the results of your project with others. Sharing helps promote best practices and prevent duplicative work. It also adds to the existing resources that support or oppose the practice.”

Non-counsellor translation: When we share our success stories with the world, and

sometimes even our sufferings, we remind ourselves that we’ve been successful, and

gotten past things we never imagined we could. We inspire the people around us.

Maybe you post some of your process on Social Media, resisting the urge to make it look

“perfect,” to reassure those who may be struggling!

Maybe you teach a class online, or teach a skills group (once COVID lets us hang out

together again!). Or maybe you and a few friends take on learning a new language, art of

side-business together.

Maybe you spend time with your kids mentoring them in the new skills you learn,

reminding them the “working at” skill is more important than “accomplishing a thing,”

escaping the trap of “value = accomplishment” that so many of us are trapped in! (But I

get ahead of myself, that’s probably a topic for another day!)

We give the next generation someone to look up to, ideas for them to improve on, and

maybe we can pass on these 6 steps as a solid road map for how to get started doing the

things that we can’t even imagine yet.

Now, with all this Science stuff locked down, I'm sure we all have some intense microscope-peering to do!

(Entirely possible I'm loving "standard scientist memes" a bit too much. I'm working on it)

Thanks for bearing with me with this more “theoretical” kind of post. I really wanted to share, because these are skills which registered professionals are expected to learn and keep up, and which you, as a consumer, have a right to look for.

If you’re thinking about counselling, maybe think up a few questions you want to ask your counsellor about their qualifications, training, and how their counselling works.

Your life is important, so you have a right to educate yourself on who you’re trusting with your most personal stresses!

Keep safe, and hope to talk again soon!