Kimberly Dossett

Kimberly Dossett is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Western University in Ontario, Canada. Her Master of Science was also completed in Clinical Psychology at the same institution. Prior to her studies at Western University she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at McGill University in Quebec, Canada. 

Her research examines children’s mental health services, specifically how concepts related to service use are defined clinically and in research settings. In her current research project, Kimberly is investigating how clinicians and researchers conceptualize service intensity in children’s mental health by using choice-based conjoint analysis.

The purpose of this study is to more concretely understand the concept of service intensity. The lack of an agreed upon definition or understanding of what this concept encompasses has implications for research and clinical practice. In terms of research, it can hinder comparisons of findings between studies and makes it difficult to draw overarching conclusions about the literature. In terms of clinical practice, it can impair communication between agencies and providers, can create variability in the treatment information that is recorded and used in evaluating services, and may impact the factors considered in developing caseload guidelines. Defining service intensity is critical when considering ideal models of care for children's mental health in Canada; which often rely on decisions related to service intensity (e.g., stepped-care models).

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