Coverage of EBT practices in routine clinical supervision for youth: how much overlap with the evidence base?

ABSTRACT

Clinical supervision is a common practice in youth mental health services; however, research that characterizes the extent to which routine supervision aligns with gold standard supervision described in research trials is largely unknown. Community supervisors and supervisees reported on 100 supervision sessions; a subset (n = 57) were analyzed using observational coding. Results indicated that coverage of evidence-based practice elements was brief and some elements were rarely discussed (e.g., exposure for anxiety). Participants also reported discussion of practice elements outside of research-supported protocols (e.g., therapeutic alliance). Findings highlight differences between supervision in controlled research and supervision in routine settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinical supervision
• child mental health services
• evidence-based practice

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to relay appreciation to the supervisors and supervisees for generously sharing their time.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

^*Abby Bailin is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine.L. DiAnne Borders was the decision editor of this article.This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Texas at Austin.

Notes on contributors

Abby Bailin

Abby Bailin, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Fellow of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. While conducting this research, she was a graduate student in educational psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. Abby’s research is focused on increasing the reach and effectiveness of evidence-based mental health interventions for underserved children and families. In particular, she is interested in factors that support and enhance the implementation of evidence-based interventions in both traditional and non-traditional behavioral health settings, including clinical training and supervision. Additionally, she is interested in using novel means of service delivery (i.e., digital) to reach segments of the population unlikely to access traditional mental health services.

Sarah Kate Bearman

Sarah Kate Bearman, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin. A clinical child psychologist, her interests focus on advancing effective and scientifically supported treatments for youth and families in low-resource settings. In particular, she is interested in the supportive infrastructures, such as clinical supervision, that can promote successful adoption and implementation of evidence-based therapies.