I have seen many hard-working, diligent people fail TCOM certification because they over-focus on anchor definitions, and do not properly understand the item they are rating. They think that by focusing on the anchor definitions they are being “detail oriented,” but instead they are “missing the forest for the trees.” The anchor definitions are not […]
Tips for Visualizing your TCOM project: The Total System Outcomes Report
One of the best tips I’ve ever learned about data interpretation is to start big, and work your way down. It is much easier to start with a macro understanding of something, and then to peel away details, then to build up an understanding from a lot of micro observations. For example, looking at all […]
TCOM versus Traditional Program Evaluation
I was recently asked what the difference is between program evaluation and TCOM? My response was first of all, that TCOM is clearly not in opposition to program evaluation, and in fact outcomes monitoring is an important part of program evaluation. However, TCOM has a unique approach to evaluation problems, and also is larger than […]
Fun CANS Visualizations from Child Guidance Resource Centers
Over the last year, we at CDR have had a chance to work closely with Child Guidance Resource Centers, a multi-level mental health provider in Eastern Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia. The clinical leadership at CGRC is done by Andy Kind-Rubin Ph.D., a psychologist who though always quick to tell you “I’m not good with numbers,” also […]
Who is a part of the community? A consideration of what it means to exclude immigrants from the social safety net.
08/09/2018 – Update: Since writing the blog post below, more information about changing the status of legal immigrants has emerged. There is now serious consideration of penalizing legal immigrants seeking permanent status when they accept health-care services paid for by the government. The prediction is 1 million less lives using everything from food stamps, to […]