The dissemination and implementation of evidence-based psychological treatments: A review of current efforts.
Abstract
Recognizing an urgent need for increased access to evidenced-based psychological treatments, public health authorities have recently allocated over $2 billion to better disseminate these interventions. In response, implementation of these programs has begun, some of it on a very large scale, with substantial implications for the science and profession of psychology. But methods to transport treatments to service delivery settings have developed independently without strong evidence for, or even a consensus on, best practices for accomplishing this task or for measuring successful outcomes of training. This article reviews current leading efforts at the national, state, and individual treatment developer levels to integrate evidence-based interventions into service delivery settings. Programs are reviewed in the context of the accumulated wisdom of dissemination and implementation science and of methods for assessment of outcomes for training efforts. Recommendations for future implementation strategies will derive from evaluating outcomes of training procedures and developing a consensus on necessary training elements to be used in these efforts.
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Transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral treatments are being developed because single-diagnosis protocols may hinder dissemination and adoption, and to address shared features and mechanisms of change in emotional disorders.
“Transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) treatments are being developed in response to the proliferation of single-diagnosis treatment protocols that may actually hinder the dissemination and adoption of evidence-based psychological treatments (see McHugh& Barlow, 2010), and to address shared features and mechanisms of change in emotional disorders (Norton & Philipp, 2008).”
From Intolerance of Uncertainty: A Common Factor in the Treatment of Emotional Disorders (2013) · cites this paper as McHugh& Barlow, 2010
Disseminating evidence-based psychological treatments has become a challenge because of their cost, duration, and lack of well-qualified professionals, which can explain why they are underutilized in clinical practice settings.
“disseminating EBTs has become a real challenge because of their cost, the duration of the treatments, and the lack of well-qualified professionals [5], which can explain why EBTs are underutilized in clinical practice settings [6].”
From Negative and positive affect regulation in a transdiagnostic internet-based protocol for emotional disorders: Randomized controlled trial (2021) · cites this paper as [6]
The need to train clinicians in competent delivery of exposure therapy has been identified as a priority.
“The need to train clinicians in the .1competent delivery of exposure therapy has been identified as a priority (McHugh & Barlow, 2010).”
From The impact of teaching clinicians about implementing exposure therapy with patients with eating disorders: A nonrandomized controlled study (2020) · cites this paper as McHugh & Barlow, 2010
Evidence-based treatments are not routinely used in service delivery.
“are not routinely employed in service delivery (Kazdin, 2008; McHugh & Barlow, 2010).”
From User‐centered design for psychosocial intervention development and implementation. (2016) · cites this paper as McHugh & Barlow, 2010
The implementation of empirically-based treatments and its empirical documentation is lagging at least two decades behind the development and empirical validation of the treatments themselves.
“The implementation of empirically-based treatments and its empirical documentation is lagging at least two decades behind the development and empirical validation of the treatments themselves [29].”
From European guidelines for personality disorders: past, present and future (2019) · cites this paper as [29]
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References 46 · Cited by 909
- Authors
- McHugh, R. K., & Barlow, D. H.
- Affiliations
- Boston University (US)
- Venue
- American Psychologist
- Published
- 2010
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 73-84
- ISSN
- 0003-066X (ISSN-L)
- 1935-990X
- OpenAlex
- W2090894158
- Cited by
- 909
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 73 · 2020: 55 · 2019: 87 · 2018: 79 · 2017: 70 · 2016: 53 · 2015: 85 · 2014: 71 · 2013: 91 · 2012: 41
- FWCI
- 107.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Psychologist (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Keywords
- evidence-based psychotherapy, intervention dissemination, implementation science, access to mental health care
- MeSH terms
- Behavior Therapy, Mental Disorders, Diffusion of Innovation, United Kingdom, Humans, Mental Health Services, Psychotherapy, State Government, United States, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Information Dissemination, Evidence-Based Practice
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