Why, What, and How: Training Community Clinicians on Evidence-Based Practice for Youth Mental Health

Training is needed to bridge the gap between evidence-based practice of effective child and adolescent mental health practice and currently accessible care. Dissemination of evidence-based practice (EBP) has been stalled by a number of challenges, despite calls for such approaches. This article describes a 15-week, 90-min interactive seminar designed to train both trainees and experienced clinicians on benefits, conceptual under-pinnings, and the modular approach to EBP in mental health treatment. Initial results indicate self-reported positive change in clinician attitude toward EBP and knowledge, skill, and use of EBP for both standardized assessment tools and treatment strategies. Lessons learned, limitations, and implications for designing and implementing evidence-based trainings for community mental health clinics are discussed. Public Significance Statement This article contributes to the knowledge base on effective training strategies that enable providers to deliver more evidence-based care to children and families. Most importantly, this project highlights the need to, and value of, continuing training even for experienced clinicians to increase the likelihood that the highest quality care is being provided to the families we serve.