Invited Column: Evidence-Based Practice

Benchmarking the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy: Program Evaluation as a Component of Evidence-Based Practice

Although nearly half of children who experience trauma are younger than age six, few parenting programs target parenting practices for caregivers of young children who have experienced trauma or adversity. The current study preliminarily evaluates the virtual delivery of a brief psychoeducational group—Managing Youth Trauma Effectively (MYTE)—which was developed to meet this need, regardless of whether children show trauma-related symptoms. During the Covid-19 pandemic, both the train-the-facilitator training and caregiver group sessions were delivered virtually. This study examines perceptions of virtual training, virtual group delivery, parenting changes, and parent perceptions of child changes. The data, collected in the United States, included two tiers: facilitators who were trained to deliver the curriculum (n = 21), and caregivers who participated in the group (n = 61). Caregivers were majority female (70%) and non-Hispanic White (79%). Caregivers completed an anonymous online survey using a retrospective pre-post design. Both facilitators and caregivers perceived the virtual format to be useful, appropriate, and high quality. After participating in MYTE, caregivers perceived changes in specific parenting practices and changes in their child, including improved compliance, increased soothing, and an enhanced relationship. Results provide promising preliminary support for the virtual delivery of a brief psychoeducational group to support caregivers of children ages birth through five who have experienced trauma or adversity.

We conducted a feasibility pilot of the RUBI parent training program (RUBI PT) delivered virtually with children with ASD and disruptive behaviors in a diverse community sample. Twenty-nine children (age M = 5.79, SD = 3.56) were enrolled for the direct, telehealth delivered program. Twenty-four families completed the program (82.8 %) and 85.3 % of core sessions were attended. Four of the five families who dropped out were participating during the COVID-19 pandemic and cited this as the reason for discontinuing. The feasibility of the program for reducing problem behaviors in the home setting was consistent with prior RUBI PT studies. Future implementation of synchronous telehealth PT is encouraged as this format will enable more families to access this service, especially in underserved communities.

Given the impressive amount of knowledge relevant to prevention efforts, this paper articulates strategies to capitalize on such knowledge through evidence-based decision making. Knowledge, or “evidence,” is understood here as coming from multiple sources, including research, individual people, group history, and relevant theory. The presented strategies to facilitate evidence-based decision making are: (1) intervention knowledge management; (2) collaborative design; (3) knowledge resources for intervention; and (4) developmentally sensitive training and supervision. Examples and benefits are outlined for each strategy. It is ultimately argued that evidence-based decision making embodies the scientific approach, and is worth consideration within primary prevention, given its early success in secondary intervention of youth mental health.