Peer Review

Blogging Behavioral

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Mar 13, 2020 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

Behavioral Blogging is a blog by psychologist Sandy Andrews, Ph.D., who specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Dr. Andrews describes the purpose of her blog as follows: "My intent here is to share some of what I know about clinical psychology, CBT in particular, and perspectives gained from across the couch."

Type of Material:

Reference Material

Recommended Uses:

The blog's content can serve as reference material for a class on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or counseling skills in general. It also could be used for assignments such as virtual job shadowing or learning how to develop an online presence as a mental health professional.

Technical Requirements:

This blog requires access to the internet with any web browser. The platform for this blog is Blogger.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Users of this site will learn about cognitive behavioral therapy and its applications.
The blog has the added goal of showing future psychologists, social workers or therapists about the professional work of one practitioner.

Target Student Population:

College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Professional

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

No prerequisite knowledge or skills are required, just the understanding that this is one therapist’s approach and “this blog is for knowledge and entertainment only,” not therapy or treatment.

This blog is designed to share information about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other therapeutic interventions with a lay audience, which makes it accessible to many levels of learners. Basic computer skills are needed, such as how to access the internet and understanding the common features of a blog.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Many areas are covered, but the greatest strength is the explanation and illustration of cognitive behavioral therapy through examples of how this approach addresses different issues. The site is exactly what it claims to be – perspectives gained from clinical psychology, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy.
A wide variety of topics are covered from assertiveness to meditation, CBT to weight loss.
The author offers appropriate disclaimers about the content being for knowledge or entertainment only (and not a replacement for professional services).
The blog is easy to navigate, and blog posts are written in a friendly, personal style.
Additional resources include a list of recommended books and meditations. Some topics include links to additional material from the American Psychological Association (APA).

Concerns:

It would be beneficial for Dr. Andrews to include her credentials, such as a link to a resume or CV.
While the site includes contact information should one be interested in therapy, an explanation of how to seek out a therapist if in a different geographic location would be helpful.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The examples of different areas addressed by CBT add a deeper understanding of the method.
The content of this blog offers the real-world experience of one clinical psychologist and covers a variety of topics that are of interest to her clients. It offers learners a glimpse into the practical applications of counseling and psychotherapy.

Concerns:

The blog is not designed as course material and, therefore, does not have an educator's guide or learning objectives that might help an educator incorporate the blog entries into an assignment or course. In addition, not all of the content discussed includes citations or attribution of evidence-informed literature. Instructors who use the blog in class will need to develop learning activities and provide relevant reference material.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The blog is easy to navigate and includes timely blog posts about content relevant to the author's clinical practice. Additionally, the author provides links to other psychology blogs.
The blog covers a wide variety of topics, and the blog has been active for 10 years (at the time of the review). The blog entries are organized by topics and dates.

Concerns:

Several of the hyperlinks are not working, and some of the photos are not accessible.
A search feature would be helpful.

Other Issues and Comments:: The blog is updated on a periodic basis, typically about once every three to four months. The author does not write about client experiences, but rather focuses on information that might be useful to her clients or others in her community. Given that the author has been blogging for over ten years, we would consider her a pioneer in the use of technology for counseling practice.
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