What if you could capture two hours of clinical insight in just 10 minutes?
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Dr. Lisa Pellegrin, a licensed clinical psychologist in Tennessee, discovered exactly how to make this happen—and it's changing how she delivers care in her private practice.
The scientist meets the clinician
Dr. Pellegrin's journey with CAT-MH® and K-CAT® (the adolescent version) began in 2017, but not in private practice. Working in an administrative role for Tennessee's child welfare system, she needed a solution for screening large populations to determine who needed mental health treatment most urgently.
"We did not have the staff necessary to administer traditional clinical measures, but the CAT-MH® presented a solution," Dr. Pellegrin explains. "Results correlating highly with lengthy semi-structured interviews such as the SCID. So as a scientist that was an incredibly attractive option to me."
The concept immediately caught her attention: adaptive testing technology that could deliver the same validity and precision as typical clinical interviews, but in a fraction of the time. For a system managing hundreds of cases with limited resources, this wasn't just convenient — it was transformative.
"The instant scoring and feedback allowed our clinicians to act quickly with appropriate recommendations. Everything from making sure someone got therapy to intervening where there was suicidal ideation."
Watch the full interview with Dr. Lisa Pellegrin
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Making the leap to private practice
When Dr. Pellegrin transitioned to private practice three years ago, she knew she wanted to bring empirically validated treatments and methods to her clients. CAT-MH® and K-CAT® were an obvious choice.
"I email all clients the CAT-MH® the day of our intake session. That includes adults and any adolescents who I see," she says. This simple change freed her from asking "a couple of hours of structured questions" and instead allowed her to "hear their story, connect with them as a client, and hear what's going on."
The impact on the therapeutic relationship was immediate. Instead of spending the first session working through lengthy interviews Dr. Pellegrin could focus on what matters most: building connections and understanding her clients' experiences.
The power of comprehensive assessment in minutes
With CAT-MH®'s comprehensive set of modules, Dr. Pellegrin knew "it would take 10 minutes to gather what would take upwards of two hours of targeted structured interviewing." But the real advantage wasn't just speed; it was the quality of ongoing care.
"The benefit of the large base of questions, of course, is that if I would like to monitor clients on an ongoing basis, which I often do, they won't see the same questions every time," she explains. "Rather than to hand them four pieces of paper with 10 or 15 questions on each one and tally all of these things up, I can shoot them an email, they can go on their phone, fill out the symptoms, and we instantly have the results to review when they present for their session."
The scientist's approach to treatment monitoring
Dr. Pellegrin's background as a scientist shines through in how she uses CAT-MH® data. "I really like a good spreadsheet," she admits with a laugh, "and I have a spreadsheet where each client has a tab."
This systematic approach allows her to collaborate with clients on which areas to monitor regularly. "During the first or second session, I ask the client to decide along with me which areas they'd like for us to monitor regularly with the CAT-MH®. So, I will typically include anxiety, depression, suicide, and any other areas that are elevated."
The visual representation of progress creates powerful therapeutic moments. "We'll have a graph on there. And that lets us do a couple things. Of course, it lets us look and see if that client is improving in the short run with the interventions, but it also lets us monitor longer term trends."
When data drives better decisions
Dr. Pellegrin shares a compelling example of how measurement-based care prevented unnecessary testing and expenses. A 35-year-old male client presented with elevated scores in depression, anxiety, and ADHD. He was particularly concerned about potentially having ADHD and wanted testing.
"We talked about that together, said ADHD is elevated right now, so are depression and anxiety and those can compromise your ability to pay attention to things. So we decided together, rather than to invest some significant time and money on his part, let's continue to monitor and see how things go for a few weeks of therapy."
The results were remarkable. After six sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy CBT), “his depression as measured by the CAT-MH® had dropped 23 points. Anxiety dropped 46 points. And ADHD dropped 22 points."
"Together, the client and I were able to make a data-driven decision for him to hold off on the ADHD® testing and continue CBT and monitoring symptoms."
When treatment isn't working as expected
Not every case shows dramatic improvement, and that's where CAT-MH®'s precision becomes even more valuable. Dr. Pellegrin describes a 63-year-old female client who experienced a significant traumatic event and began cognitive processing therapy.
While her anxiety decreased 20 points — clinically significant progress — "her depression remained in a mild clinical range, and her PTSD score held steady in the moderate range with little to no fluctuation."
This data prompted important clinical questions: "Did she have an adequate understanding of the treatment materials, or did I need to review them in a different manner for her to fully understand? She'd had a mild head injury at the time of this accident. Was this playing a role in her ability to fully grasp the treatment modality?"
The objective data revealed something crucial: "The client, for whatever reason, reported some improvements that the scores didn't show. So, whether she was trying to please me as the therapist or have a bright outlook in the hope it would help her symptoms, the numbers were telling a different story."
Collaboration that changes outcomes
Dr. Pellegrin provided the CAT-MH® data to the client's physician, "indicating that despite very hard work on her part, she still had significant depression and PTSD symptoms. The physician very readily collaborated with me and made some changes to her medications."
The result? "Her symptoms subsequently began to decrease in both the depression and PTSD domains, which of course was a relief to the client. And to me, it was a sign of successful collaboration between the team members and the client."
The future of measurement-based care
Dr. Pellegrin's experience demonstrates what happens when scientific rigor meets practical efficiency. "This is the type of success that measurement-based treatment can bring. And the CAT-MH® was a very important tool in this scenario."
For clinicians looking to enhance their practice with data-driven insights, Dr. Pellegrin's approach offers a roadmap: embrace the technology, collaborate with clients on what to monitor, and let the data guide better treatment decisions.
After all, when you can gather comprehensive mental health insights in minutes rather than hours, you're not just saving time; you're creating space for what matters most: meaningful therapeutic relationships and better outcomes for the people you serve.
Ready to transform your mental health screening? Learn more about how CAT-MH® can help you deliver more accurate, efficient care.