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This study updated existing meta-analyses of couple therapy that typically do not include multiple treatment modalities, various research designs, long-term outcomes, or recent studies. Eligibility Criteria: Studies published in English that reported relationship satisfaction or other outcomes of couple therapy were included; over 70% of studies have not been included in previous meta-analyses. Methods of Synthesis: Using random effects models across 58 studies representing 40 unique samples and 2,092 couples, effect sizes were summarized within measure domains as mean gains for treatment groups and waitlist groups as well as between-groups comparisons.Couple therapy has a large effect on relationship satisfaction (pre to post within-group Hedges ḡ = 1.12, CI [0.92, 1.31], p.001) and couples assigned to waitlists do not significantly improve (pre-to-post within-group satisfaction Hedges ḡ = 0.12, CI [-0.04, 0.29], p.05). Additionally, couple therapy has significant impacts on key domains including self-reported and observed communication, emotional intimacy, and partner behaviors. Moderation analyses of pre-to-post gains in relationship satisfaction for treatment groups were generally nonsignificant; however, greater baseline distress was associated with larger gains.Couple therapy has large effects on key relationship domains and gains are generally maintained over short- and long-term follow-up with minimal impact of tested moderators. Limitations include sample of exclusively opposite sex couples and inability to fully model dependencies within studies. The relationship between mean gain effect sizes and between-groups comparisons is discussed with implications for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Despite research supporting measurement-based care grounded in standardized progress measures, such measures are underutilized by clinicians. Individualized measures of client-specific targets present an alternative, but little is known about their acceptability or use. We compared attitudes toward and use of standardized and individualized progress measures in a national sample of 504 clinicians. Clinicians reported neutral to positive attitudes toward both types of measures, but strongly preferred and were more likely to use individualized measures. Clinician attitudes, theoretical orientation, and work setting predicted assessment preferences and practices. Implications for dissemination and implementation of measurement-based care are discussed.

This study examined predictors of engagement among 283 professionals from 34 agencies participating in three community-based learning collaboratives (CBLCs) on trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). Only 50.2% of participants completed the CBLC, primarily due to not attending consultation calls or completing training cases. While higher engagement was associated with being trauma-informed and using more of the TF-CBT components prior to the CBLC, most predictors were not significant, perhaps due to ceiling effects. Positive attitudes and high organizational support were not sufficient to ensure engagement. Future research using longitudinal measurement of a wider range of predictors is needed.

Funding is posited to affect evidence-based practice implementation, yet the complex interplay between financial matters and successful implementation is understudied. This study examined stakeholder perspectives on the impact of funding in evidence-based practice implementation. All participants were key stakeholders (e.g., clinicians, case managers, agency leaders; N = 41) involved in a trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy implementation effort using a community-based learning collaborative model within the community's child welfare system. Semistructured interviews were conducted and qualitatively analyzed as part of a program evaluation of the implementation effort. Funding emerged as a key theme influencing implementation within this program evaluation from the perspective of all stakeholders. Thirty-four participants (83%) independently raised funding as an important factor affecting implementation outcomes across seven specific themes: (a) the impact of privatization, (b) turfism, (c) money as a primary implementation facilitator, (d) implementation costs impacting participation, (e) burden associated with funding evaluation efforts, (f) need for reimbursement practices to align with the use of trauma-informed treatment, and (g) a sense of shared mission to serve clients above money. Recommendations for addressing these challenges are provided. Future research should examine funding qualitatively and quantitatively across diverse communities and funding systems to improve understanding of the impact of funding on implementation and, ultimately, care provided to clients. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Urban youth have high rates of traumatic exposures; 16% of youth eventually develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Though it is critical for urban youth living in poverty to have access to evidence-based interventions for traumatic stress in their community settings, there is limited research on the effectiveness of these interventions when provided in these settings. The objectives of the current study are to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy delivered from 2013–16 in 15 behavioral health agencies on youth (N = 114) PTSD (measured by the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS)) and general mental health symptoms (measured by the Ohio Mental Health Consumer Outcomes System (Ohio Scales)) and 2) benchmark these clinical outcomes against other published efficacy and effectiveness trials. Effectiveness data are from the Philadelphia County Community Behavioral Health system; a system that has invested significantly in the training and ongoing support of clinicians providing high quality trauma services to youth since 2012. From baseline to last assessment, youth outcomes improved on the following measures: CPSS symptom severity (d = .34), CPSS functional impairment (d = .38), and the Ohio Scales overall mental health problem severity (d = .29). The effect sizes for symptom improvement were smaller than the effect sizes observed in efficacy and effectiveness studies. This study is the first benchmarking study of TF-CBT, and provides preliminary findings with regards to the effectiveness, and transportability, of TF-CBT in urban community settings that serve youth in poverty.

Background Little work investigates the effect of behavioral health system efforts to increase use of evidence-based practices or how organizational characteristics moderate the effect of these efforts. The objective of this study was to investigate clinician practice change in a system encouraging implementation of evidence-based practices over 5 years and how organizational characteristics moderate this effect. We hypothesized that evidence-based techniques would increase over time, whereas use of non-evidence-based techniques would remain static. Method Using a repeated cross-sectional design, data were collected three times from 2013 to 2017 in Philadelphia’s public behavioral health system. Clinicians from 20 behavioral health outpatient clinics serving youth were surveyed three times over 5 years (n = 340; overall response rate = 60%). All organizations and clinicians were exposed to system-level support provided by the Evidence-based Practice Innovation Center from 2013 to 2017. Additionally, approximately half of the clinicians participated in city-funded evidence-based practice training initiatives. The main outcome included clinician self-reported use of cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic techniques measured by the Therapy Procedures Checklist-Family Revised. Results Clinicians were 80% female and averaged 37.52 years of age (SD = 11.40); there were no significant differences in clinician characteristics across waves (all ps > .05). Controlling for organizational and clinician covariates, average use of CBT techniques increased by 6% from wave 1 (M = 3.18) to wave 3 (M = 3.37, p = .021, d = .29), compared to no change in psychodynamic techniques (p = .570). Each evidence-based practice training initiative in which clinicians participated predicted a 3% increase in CBT use (p = .019) but no change in psychodynamic technique use (p = .709). In organizations with more proficient cultures at baseline, clinicians exhibited greater increases in CBT use compared to organizations with less proficient cultures (8% increase vs. 2% decrease, p = .048). Conclusions System implementation of evidence-based practices is associated with modest changes in clinician practice; these effects are moderated by organizational characteristics. Findings identify preliminary targets to improve implementation.

While randomized controlled trials of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) have demonstrated efficacy for youth with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), TF-CBT effectiveness trials typically show attenuated outcomes. This decrease in effectiveness may be due to the differences in sociodemographic characteristics of youth in these trials; youth in efficacy trials are more often white and middle-income, whereas youth in effectiveness trials are more often racial/ethnic minorities, of low socioeconomic status (SES) and live in high crime neighborhoods. In this study—drawn from an effectiveness trial of TF-CBT in community mental health clinics across Philadelphia—we describe the sociodemographic characteristics of enrolled youth. We measured neighborhood SES by matching participants’ addresses to American Community Survey data from their Census tracts, housing stability using the National Outcomes Measurement System, and neighborhood violence using police department crime statistics. Our results suggest that the majority of youth presenting for TF-CBT in mental health clinics in the City of Philadelphia live in poor and high-crime neighborhoods, experience substantial housing instability, and are predominantly ethnic and racial minorities. Thus, youth presenting for treatment experience significant racial and socioeconomic adversity. We also explored the association between these characteristics and youth symptom severity upon presenting for treatment. These factors were not associated with youth symptom severity or overall mental health functioning in our sample (with small effect sizes and p >0.05 for all). Implications for future research, such as the need for efficacy and effectiveness trials to more fully characterize their samples and the need for pragmatic trials are discussed.

This study examined the relationship between anger and anxiety in youth in an outpatient anxiety treatment clinic. Participants included 40 primarily female and Caucasian youth, all diagnosed with a primary anxiety disorder. Youth provided ratings of anger, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. We also obtained parent and clinician ratings of anxiety severity. Analyses supported a significant relationship between trait anger and anxiety severity. When rated by youth, trait anger was significantly related to physical symptoms of anxiety and harm avoidance. Youth report of anger symptoms was not related to parent or clinician report of youth anxiety severity. Assessing symptoms of anger in youth with anxiety disorders may be important, as it may be related to higher anxiety symptom severity for some youth. Future research in larger samples is needed to understand the co-occurrence of different components of anger and anxiety disorders and its impact on prognosis and treatment process.

Objective: This meta-analysis synthesized the literature regarding the effect of therapist experience on internalizing client outcomes to evaluate the utility of lay providers in delivering treatment and to inform therapist training. Method: The analysis included 22 studies, contributing 208 effect sizes. Study and client characteristics were coded to examine moderators. We conducted subgroup meta-analyses examining the relationship of therapist experience across a diverse set of internalizing client outcomes. Results: Results demonstrated a small, but significant relationship between therapist experience and internalizing client outcomes. There was no relationship between therapist experience and outcomes in clients with primary anxiety disorders. In samples of clients with primary depressive disorders and in samples of clients with mixed internalizing disorders, there was a significant relationship between experience and outcomes. The relationship between therapist experience and outcomes was stronger when clients were randomized to therapists, treatment was not manualized, and for measures of client satisfaction and "other" outcomes (e.g., dropout). Conclusions: It appears that therapist experience may matter for internalizing clients under certain circumstances, but this relationship is modest. Continuing methodological concerns in the literature are noted, as well as recommendations to address these concerns.

The goal of evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP) is to improve public health through the application of research-supported assessment, case formulation, therapeutic relationship, and treatment approaches. Although EBPP is defined broadly, many efforts to improve practice have focused on treatment, with less attention paid to other aspects of practice. In this chapter, it is argued that significant work is needed to encourage the dissemination of information about evidence-based assessment (EBA) and its implementation in routine clinical practice. The chapter discusses how EBA differs from usual clinical assessment practices and describes efforts to increase the use of EBA. Finally, the chapter presents suggestions for steps that must be taken to advance the use of EBA in clinical settings.

Evidence-based assessment has received little attention despite its critical importance to the evidence-based practice movement. Given the limited resources in the public sector, it is necessary for evidence-based assessment to utilize tools with established reliability and validity metrics that are free, easily accessible, and brief. We review tools that meet these criteria for youth and adult mental health for the most prevalent mental health disorders to provide a clinical guide and reference for the selection of assessment tools for public sector settings. We also discuss recommendations for how to move forward the evidence-based assessment agenda.

Among the challenges facing the mental health field are the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices. The present study investigated the relationships between inner context variables (i.e., adopter characteristics and individual perceptions of intra-organizational factors) and two implementation outcomes – independently rated therapist fidelity on a performance-based role-play (i.e., adherence and skill) and self-reported penetration of cognitive behavioral therapy for youth anxiety following training. A significant relationship was found between inner context variables and fidelity. Specifically, adopter characteristics were associated with adherence and skill; individual perceptions of intra-organizational factors were associated with adherence. Inner context variables were not associated with penetration. Future directions are discussed.

Staff turnover rates in publicly-funded mental health settings are high. We investigated staff and organizational predictors of turnover in a sample of individuals working in an urban public mental health system that has engaged in a system-level effort to implement evidence-based practices. Additionally, we interviewed staff to understand reasons for turnover. Greater staff burnout predicted increased turnover, more openness toward new practices predicted retention, and more professional recognition predicted increased turnover. Staff reported leaving their organizations because of personal, organizational, and financial reasons; just over half of staff that left their organization stayed in the public mental health sector. Implications include an imperative to focus on turnover, with a particular emphasis on ameliorating staff burnout.

Background Organizational factors impact the delivery of mental health services in community settings. Mixed-methods analytic approaches have been recommended, though little research within implementation science has explicitly compared inductive and deductive perspectives to understand their relative value in understanding the same constructs. The purpose of our study is to use two different paradigmatic approaches to deepen our understanding of organizational social context. We accomplish this by using a mixed-methods approach in an investigation of organizational social context in community mental health clinics. Methods Nineteen agencies, representing 23 sites, participated. Enrolled participants included 130 therapists, 36 supervisors, and 22 executive administrators. Quantitative data was obtained via the Organizational Social Context (OSC) measure. Qualitative data, comprised of direct observation with spot sampling generated from agency visits, was coded using content analysis and grounded theory. The present study examined elements of organizational social context that would have been missed if only quantitative data had been obtained and utilized mixed methods to investigate if stratifying observations based on quantitative ratings from the OSC resulted in the emergence of differential themes. Results Four of the six OSC constructs were commonly observed in field observations (i.e., proficiency, rigidity, functionality, stress), while the remaining two constructs were not frequently observed (i.e., resistance, engagement). Constructs emerged related to organizational social context that may have been missed if only quantitative measurement was employed, including those around the physical environment, commentary about evidence-based practice initiatives, leadership, cultural diversity, distrust, and affect. Stratifying agencies by “best,” “average,” and “worst” organizational social context impacted interpretation for three constructs (affect, stress, and leadership). Conclusions Results support the additive value of integrating inductive and deductive perspectives in implementation science research. This synthesis of approaches facilitated a more comprehensive understanding and interpretation of the findings than would have been possible if either methodology had been employed in isolation.

Background Evidence-based treatments (EBTs) are not widely available in community mental health settings. In response to the call for implementation of evidence-based treatments in the United States, states and counties have mandated behavioral health reform through policies and other initiatives. Evaluations of the impact of these policies on implementation are rare. A systems transformation about to occur in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers an important opportunity to prospectively study implementation in response to a policy mandate. Methods/design Using a prospective sequential mixed-methods design, with observations at multiple points in time, we will investigate the responses of staff from 30 community mental health clinics to a policy from the Department of Behavioral Health encouraging and incentivizing providers to implement evidence-based treatments to treat youth with mental health problems. Study participants will be 30 executive directors, 30 clinical directors, and 240 therapists. Data will be collected prior to the policy implementation, and then at two and four years following policy implementation. Quantitative data will include measures of intervention implementation and potential moderators of implementation (i.e., organizational- and leader-level variables) and will be collected from executive directors, clinical directors, and therapists. Measures include self-reported therapist fidelity to evidence-based treatment techniques as measured by the Therapist Procedures Checklist-Revised, organizational variables as measured by the Organizational Social Context Measurement System and the Implementation Climate Assessment, leader variables as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, attitudes towards EBTs as measured by the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale, and knowledge of EBTs as measured by the Knowledge of Evidence- Based Services Questionnaire. Qualitative data will include semi-structured interviews with a subset of the sample to assess the implementation experience of high-, average-, and low-performing agencies. Mixed methods will be integrated through comparing and contrasting results from the two methods for each of the primary hypotheses in this study. Discussion Findings from the proposed research will inform both future policy mandates around implementation and the support required for the success of these policies, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of treatment provided to youth in the public sector.