Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence Based Treatments for Youth: Challenges and Recommendations

How can we best facilitate the application of child/adolescent evidence-based treatments (EBTs) in community clinic settings? Many factors have been cited as potential barriers to successful implementation. For example, children treated in community settings tend to have higher comorbidity and greater ecological risks than children treated in university settings. At the provider level, attitudes about EBTs may influence whether or how a therapist chooses to implement the treatment. At the system level, financing constraints on dissemination tools, like training or availability of materials, may be obstacles. We review these factors using the Mental Health System Ecological (MHSE) model and offer recommendations for professional psychologists interested in overcoming these barriers. Our focus for this article is on the child, therapist, and system levels of the MHSE model.