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Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

25-04-2024 | Psychotherapy | Original Article

Data-Informed Communication: How Measurement-Based Care Can Optimize Child Psychotherapy

Authors: Elizabeth H. Connors, Amber W. Childs, Susan Douglas, Amanda Jensen-Doss

Published in: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research

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Abstract

Measurement-based care (MBC) research and practice, including clinical workflows and systems to support MBC, are grounded in adult-serving mental health systems. MBC research evidence is building in child and adolescent services, but MBC practice is inherently more complex due to identified client age, the family system and the need to involve multiple reporters. This paper seeks to address a gap in the literature by providing practical guidance for youth-serving clinicians implementing MBC with children and their families. We focus on MBC as a data-informed, client-centered communication process, and present three key strategies to enhance usual care child and adolescent psychotherapy via developmentally-appropriate MBC. These strategies include (1) go beyond standardized measures; (2) lean into discrepancies; and (3) get curious together. Case-based examples drawn from various child-serving settings illustrate these key strategies of MBC in child psychotherapy.
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Metadata
Title
Data-Informed Communication: How Measurement-Based Care Can Optimize Child Psychotherapy
Authors
Elizabeth H. Connors
Amber W. Childs
Susan Douglas
Amanda Jensen-Doss
Publication date
25-04-2024
Publisher
Springer US
Keyword
Psychotherapy
Published in
Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research
Print ISSN: 0894-587X
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3289
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-024-01372-4