Clinician training, then what? Randomized clinical trial of child STEPs psychotherapy using lower-cost implementation supports with versus without expert consultation.

OBJECTIVE: Implementation of evidence-based treatments in funded trials is often supported by expert case consultation for clinicians; this may be financially and logistically difficult in clinical practice. Might less costly implementation support produce acceptable treatment fidelity and clinical outcomes? METHOD: To find out, we trained 42 community clinicians from four community clinics in Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH), then randomly assigned them to receive multiple lower-cost implementation supports (LC) or expert MATCH consultation plus lower-cost supports (CLC). Clinically referred youths (N = 200; ages 7-15 years, M = 10.73; 53.5% male; 32.5% White, 27.5% Black, 24.0% Latinx, 1.0% Asian, 13.5% multiracial, 1.5% other) were randomly assigned to LC (n = 101) or CLC (n = 99) clinicians, and groups were compared on MATCH adherence and competence, as well as on multiple clinical outcomes using standardized measures (e.g., Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self-Report) and idiographic problem ratings (Top Problems Assessment). RESULTS: Coding of therapy sessions revealed substantial therapist adherence to MATCH in both conditions, with significantly stronger adherence in CLC; however, LC and CLC did not differ significantly in MATCH competence. Trajectories of change on all outcome measures were steep, positive, and highly similar for LC and CLC youths, with no significant differences; a supplemental analysis of posttreatment outcomes also showed similar LC and CLC posttreatment scores, with most LC-CLC differences nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that effective implementation of a complex intervention in clinical practice may be supported by procedures that are less costly and logistically challenging than expert consultation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Initial Test of a Principle-Guided Approach to Transdiagnostic Psychotherapy With Children and Adolescents.

To address implementation challenges faced by some evidence-based youth psychotherapies, we developed an efficient transdiagnostic approach-a potential "first course" in evidence-based treatment (EBP)-guided by five empirically supported principles of therapeutic change. An open trial of the resulting FIRST protocol was conducted in community clinics. Following a 2-day training, staff practitioners treated 24 clinically referred youths ages 7-15, 50% male, 87% White and 13% Latino, all with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) anxiety, depressive, or conduct-related disorders, and averaging 2.21 disorders. We evaluated the protocol's (a) feasibility for use in everyday clinical practice (examining therapy process, client engagement, and therapist adherence and competence in using the protocol), (b) acceptability (examining therapeutic alliance and treatment satisfaction by youths, caregivers, and therapists), and (c) potential for clinical benefit (examining treatment outcomes across multiple measures and time points). FIRST scored well on measures of feasibility, acceptability to clients and clinicians, and clinical outcomes, matching or exceeding the corresponding scores in most benchmarking comparisons. Observational coding of sessions showed high levels of protocol adherence (86.6%) and good therapist competence in the evidence-based skills. Weekly assessments throughout treatment showed effect sizes for clinical improvement ranging from .41 to 2.66 on weekly total problems and problems deemed "most important" by caregivers and youths. The FIRST protocol showed evidence of feasibility, acceptability, and clinical benefit when used by practitioners with referred youths treated in community clinics. The findings suggest sufficient potential to justify a full randomized controlled trial of FIRST.

Pilot implementation of computerized cognitive behavioral therapy in a university health setting.

This study evaluated the implementation of computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy (cCBT) for depression and anxiety in a university health center. Students reporting symptoms of depression and/or anxiety were offered cCBT and randomized to a session email reminder or no-reminder condition. Participants reported significant symptom and functional improvement after receiving treatment, comparable to outcomes achieved in controlled efficacy trials. However, rates of session completion were low, and reminders did not enhance retention. Results suggest that cCBT is a promising intervention in this population, with little attenuation of gains relative to efficacy trials but low levels of treatment completion.

A randomized controlled trial of the child anxiety multi-day program (CAMP) for separation anxiety disorder.

While the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy for childhood anxiety disorders, including separation anxiety disorder (SAD), has been established, tailoring such treatments to particular interests and needs may enhance uptake of evidence-based interventions. The current investigation evaluates the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an intensive, cognitive-behavioral intervention for girls with SAD provided within the novel context of a 1-week camp-like setting, the Child Anxiety Multi-Day Program (CAMP). Twenty-nine female children aged 7-12 with a principal diagnosis of SAD were randomized to immediate CAMP treatment (n = 15) or waitlist (i.e., delayed treatment; n = 14) condition during the course of this randomized controlled trial. Children in the immediate treatment group evidenced significant reductions in SAD severity, functional impairment, and parent report of child anxiety symptoms relative to the waitlist condition. The intervention's positive therapeutic response suggests one possible delivery model for surmounting difficulties faced in the dissemination of weekly treatments for SAD.

Direct-to-consumer marketing of evidence-based psychological interventions: introduction.

The dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions (EBPIs) to service provision settings has been a major challenge. Most efforts to disseminate and implement EBPIs have focused on clinicians and clinical systems as the consumers of these treatments and thus have targeted efforts to these groups. An alternative, complementary approach to achieve more widespread utilization of EBPIs is to disseminate directly to patients themselves. The aim of this special section is to explore several direct-to-consumer (i.e., patient) dissemination and education efforts currently underway. This manuscript highlights the rationale for direct-to-patient dissemination strategies as well as the application of marketing science to dissemination efforts. Achieving greater access to EBPIs will require the use of multiple approaches to overcome the many and varied barriers to successful dissemination and implementation.

Improving the transportability of CBT for internalizing disorders in children.

Research provides strong support for the efficacy and effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the treatment of childhood internalizing disorders. Given evidence for limited dissemination and implementation of CBT outside of academic settings, efforts are underway to improve its transportability so that more children with mental health needs may benefit from treatment. Creative modifications to existing treatments aim to deliver CBT for anxiety disorders and depression in a more transportable format. Notable progress has been made within the areas of computerized CBT, camp-based CBT, school-based CBT, and CBT delivered through primary care settings. These approaches are discussed within the context of key elements of transportability that are particularly germane to the dissemination and implementation of child treatments.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a 1-Week Summer Treatment Program for Separation Anxiety Disorder.

Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for the treatment of childhood Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and other anxiety disorders (Velting, Setzer, & Albano, 2004), yet additional research may still be needed to better access and engage anxious youth (Kendall, Suveg, & Kingery, 2006). In this study, we investigated the acceptability and preliminary utility of a group cognitive-behavioral intervention for school-aged girls with SAD provided within an intensive, 1-week setting. The development of the proposed treatment strategy, a 1-week summer treatment program, was predicated on evidence supporting the need for childhood treatments that are developmentally sensitive, allow for creative application of intervention components, incorporate a child's social context, and ultimately establish new pathways for dissemination to the community. The summer treatment program for SAD was pilot-tested using a case-series design with 5 female children, aged 8 to 11, each with a principal diagnosis of SAD. For 4 of the 5 participants, treatment gains were evidenced by changes in diagnostic status, significant reductions in measures of avoidance, and improvements on self- and parent-report measures of anxiety symptomology. Specifically, severity of SAD symptoms decreased substantially at posttreatment for each participant and, 2 months following treatment, none of the participants met diagnostic criteria for the disorder. A fifth participant experienced substantive improvement in diagnostic status prior to the onset of treatment and, though she evidenced continued improvements following treatment, the role of the intervention in such improvements is less clear.

SEPARATION ANXIETY DISORDER IN YOUTH: PHENOMENOLOGY, ASSESSMENT, AND TREATMENT.

Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is the most commonly diagnosed and impairing childhood anxiety disorder, accounting for approximately 50% of the referrals for mental health treatment of anxiety disorders. While considered a normative phenomenon in early childhood, SAD has the potential to negatively impact a child's social and emotional functioning when it leads to avoidance of certain places, activities and experiences that are necessary for healthy development. Amongst those with severe symptoms, SAD may result in school refusal and a disruption in educational attainment. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current literature on SAD etiology, assessment strategies, and empirically supported treatment approaches. New and innovative approaches to the treatment of SAD that also employ empirically supported techniques are highlighted. In addition, future directions and challenges in the assessment and treatment of SAD are addressed.