Keeping men in mind: practitioner self-efficacy and e-learning implementation one year following training to engage men in therapy

E-learning is a common mode of professional development for mental health practitioners. However, program outcomes are rarely studied beyond 3-month follow-up, and limited research has examined barriers and facilitators to the implementation of e-learning in mental health practitioners. This gap is pronounced when considering programs aiming to upskill practitioners to engage and respond to help-seeking men. The current study examined the self-efficacy and learning implementation among practitioners one year following the completion of an e-learning program (Men in Mind) focused on strategies for engaging male clients in psychotherapy. A cross-sectional follow-up survey including open response items was administered to 117 practitioners (70.9% female; mean age 44.6 years) sampled from a prior RCT evaluating primary outcomes of Men in Mind. Quantitative results indicated closely comparable average self-efficacy for the current sample one year following the completion of the RCT, relative to the separate but overlapping sample of RCT participants at 3-months post-training. In particular, most practitioners reported confidence to engage suicidal men at 1-year follow-up (77.8% compared to 76.5% at 3-month follow-up). Qualitative findings provided insight into how Men in Mind informed practitioners’ confidence and capacity to leverage masculinity for engagement, alongside their perceptions of the impact of these changes on their male clients (e.g. improved engagement, willingness to discuss emotions and vulnerability). Qualitative reports of implementation barriers included a lack of time and/or opportunity to practice new skills, while facilitators included the suite of practical resources provided with Men in Mind. Results suggest the potential maintenance of self-efficacy gains 1-year following completion of Men in Mind, reinforcing the value of practitioner training to engage help-seeking men and the importance of delineating paths to implementation of learning.