Abstract
Increasingly, research is focusing on strategies to make evidence-based practice more achievable in school mental health.
A significant theme is training and implementation of “common elements” or specific therapeutic skills associated with positive
clinical outcomes for children and youth, as compared to “manualized” interventions, which can be difficult to implement,
especially in the school setting. As part of a larger study on quality assessment and improvement and evidence-based practice
in school mental health (SMH) in three US states, this study analyzed 29 SMH clinicians’ knowledge and use of common elements
and the relation of knowledge and use to independent ratings of therapy quality. There was high variability in knowledge and
use of the common elements and strong associations between knowledge and use and ratings of treatment quality/effectiveness.
Results are discussed in relation to advancing research and clinical practice on achievable evidence-based practice in SMH.
A significant theme is training and implementation of “common elements” or specific therapeutic skills associated with positive
clinical outcomes for children and youth, as compared to “manualized” interventions, which can be difficult to implement,
especially in the school setting. As part of a larger study on quality assessment and improvement and evidence-based practice
in school mental health (SMH) in three US states, this study analyzed 29 SMH clinicians’ knowledge and use of common elements
and the relation of knowledge and use to independent ratings of therapy quality. There was high variability in knowledge and
use of the common elements and strong associations between knowledge and use and ratings of treatment quality/effectiveness.
Results are discussed in relation to advancing research and clinical practice on achievable evidence-based practice in SMH.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-11
- DOI 10.1007/s12310-012-9079-8
- Authors
- Sharon Stephan, Center for School Mental Health, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 737 West Lombard Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Anna Westin, Human Services Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
- Nancy Lever, Center for School Mental Health, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 737 West Lombard Street, 4th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Deborah Medoff, Division of Services Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 737 W. Lombard Street, Room 518, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Eric Youngstrom, Psychology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 348 Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA
- Mark Weist, Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Barnwell, Room 407, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Journal School Mental Health
- Online ISSN 1866-2633
- Print ISSN 1866-2625