Statewide CBT Training for Clinicians and Supervisors Treating Youth: The New York State Evidence Based Treatment Dissemination Center.

In recent years, several states have undertaken efforts to disseminate evidence-based treatments to agencies and clinicians in their children's service system. In New York, the Evidence Based Treatment Dissemination Center adopted a unique translation-based training and consultation model in which an initial 3-day training was combined with a year of clinical consultation with specific clinician and supervisor elements. This model has been used by the New York State Office of Mental Health for the past 3 years to train 1,210 clinicians and supervisors statewide. This article describes the early adoption and initial implementation of a statewide training program in cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth. The training and consultation model and descriptive findings are presented; lessons learned are described. Future plans include a focus on sustainability and measurement feedback of youth outcomes to enhance the continuity of this program and the quality of the clinical services.

Evaluating Project Connect: improving juvenile probationers' mental health and substance use service access.

Project Connect is a multilayered county-specific program aimed at linking juvenile probationers to needed mental health and substance use services. In four NY counties, the intervention included cooperative agreements between probation and mental health authorities, program materials to facilitate referral, in-service training for probation officers, and systematic screening for mental health needs. Charts for 583 Baseline youths were reviewed and compared with 594 youths undergoing intake under Project Connect. Compared to Baseline, under Project Connect, referred youths were 2.7 times as likely to access services, regardless of youth or county characteristics, service availability, or when the intervention took place.

Juvenile probation officers' mental health decision making.

We reviewed case records for 583 juvenile delinquency intakes in four county juvenile probation offices; 14.4% were receiving mental health or substance use services at case opening, and 24.9% were newly identified during probation contact. Youths were significantly more likely to be newly identified if they were repeat offenders, if their probation officer knew more about mental health and if they resided in a county without a shortage of available mental health professionals. Probation officers were especially likely to underidentify internalizing disorders. Policy implications for promoting identification of mental health needs and improving linkage to community service providers are discussed.