Outpatient Services Research

We are interested in improving outpatient mental health services for children and adolescents – including the ways in which youth and families access services, the tools used to support assessment, and the types of treatment interventions provided – with a goal of improving the overall effectiveness of services provided. Our work focuses on multiple aspects of treatment in a diverse, community-based setting.

Working within an active clinical setting allows us to understand the structures, challenges, and opportunities available to other service providers both locally and nation-wide. Furthermore, while research has begun to shift, many existing clinical measures and interventions were primarily developed in research settings that are both less diverse and often highly controlled. It is critical that we understand how these tools and interventions work for all families and across a variety of clinical contexts.

Our group has expanded the knowledge-base by validating several commonly used measures of behavioral health symptoms within a diverse sample of participants. In addition, we continue to explore implementation of evidence-based treatment models with the support of local partners, and continually work to develop processes and structures to support and enhance our ability to provide mental health services in an efficient and effective manner.

Our Outpatient Services Research Team works closely with other research groups at the Child Study Center to facilitate enrollment in studies to examine more specific treatment interventions. We have also worked with state partners on short-term data collection projects to support validation of new measures for community settings.

To improve understanding and increase effectiveness of outpatient mental health services for children and adolescents in community settings.

Designing Effective Outpatient Mental Health Services