Smoothing the trail for dissemination of evidence-based practices for youth: Flexibility within fidelity

The role and implementation of evidence-based practice and empirically supported treatments has been hotly contested among researchers and practitioners. Using examples of and from various empirically supported treatments the authors offer suggestions for smoothing the pathway for dissemination of evidence-based practice with children and adolescents. The authors underscore that mediational analyses, treatment process studies, and the continued creation of flexible treatment manuals as important components of successful dissemination. Flexibility within fidelity is proposed as the preferred perspective that eases the transition and dissemination of empirically supported treatments from research clinics to service clinics.