Enhancing the training integrity of human service staff using pyramidal behavioral skills training

Erath et al. (2020) ran a one-day pyramidal BST workshop for human-service staff. After the workshop, each staff member had to teach BST steps to a co-worker.

The researchers checked if staff could run BST with high integrity right after training, with new skills, and weeks later.

Most staff hit mastery-level integrity right away. They kept high scores when teaching brand-new skills and when checked again weeks later.

In short, a single workshop quickly created trainers who could train others, and the skill stuck.

Erath et al. (2021) later swapped the live workshop for a 13-minute video and got the same jump to 100% integrity. Same goal, faster delivery.

Clay et al. (2021) pushed the idea into virtual reality. Their preservice clinicians also reached mastery after VR BST, showing the method travels across formats.

Hahs et al. (2019) ran a 2-hour BST workshop focused on the PEAK curriculum and saw staff climb to 90% integrity, matching the high scores seen here.

You can stop flying in outside trainers. Run a short BST workshop, then have your own staff teach the next wave. The skills generalize and last, saving time and money while keeping quality high.