Using Evidence-Based Treatments: The Experiences of Youth Providers Working Under a Mandate

Whether as clinicians, administrators, or evaluators, psychologists are increasingly involved in efforts to implement evidence-based treatments (EBTs) within clinical practice settings. The state of Texas has undertaken what may be the largest EBT implementation effort to-date. A survey was conducted to understand the experiences of 197 children's service providers working within this effort. Providers' own attitudes toward the EBTs and their perceptions of their colleagues' support for the EBTs were somewhat negative, although they gave positive ratings of the quality of their EBT training and of their agencies' support for the EBTs. Significant, independent predictors of providers' attitudes toward the EBTs included provider views of their colleagues' and their agencies' support for the EBTs, their opinions of the quality of their training in the EBTs, and their perceptions of institutional barriers to EBT use (all ps < .05). These data suggest that successful implementation may require efforts to obtain buy-in at all organization levels and to provide adequate resources for training in and use of EBTs.