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Tobacco dependence is a serious public health concern. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a practice guideline of best practices to encourage all health care providers to intervene with tobacco-dependent individuals they encounter. Psychologists may be ideally suited to implement brief tobacco interventions due to their expertise in behavior change strategies and interpersonal counseling skills. This study sought to investigate current tobacco assessment and intervention practices and perceptions of responsibility for tobacco intervention among a regional sample of licensed, practicing psychologists. Results suggest that a majority of psychologists fall far short of the ideal best practices recommended in the practice guideline, and many are unaware of the availability of the guidelines. Further, psychologists in this study perceived tobacco intervention to be a greater responsibility of physicians and other health care providers than of psychologists and other mental health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A movement advocating the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) is increasingly influencing health care and the practice of psychology. Thus, teaching evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP) is critical to the preparation of future health service psychologists. In this article, the authors address common myths associated with EBP, propose core components involved in teaching EBPP, and describe an example of how such training can be incorporated into a professional psychology education and training curriculum.