OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of Web-based platforms in behavioral health, the study examined usage of a Web site for supporting training and implementation of an evidence-based intervention. METHODS: Using data from an online registration survey and Google Analytics, the investigators examined user characteristics and Web site utilization. RESULTS: Site engagement was substantial across user groups. Visit duration differed by registrants' characteristics. Less experienced clinicians spent more time on the Web site. The training accounted for most page views across user groups. Individuals previously trained in the Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools intervention viewed more implementation assistance and online community pages than did other user groups. CONCLUSIONS: Web-based platforms have the potential to support training and implementation of evidence-based interventions for clinicians of varying levels of experience and may facilitate more rapid dissemination. Web-based platforms may be promising for trauma-related interventions, because training and implementation support should be readily available after a traumatic event.

Although schools can improve children's access to mental health services, not all school-based providers are able to successfully deliver evidence-based practices. Indeed, even when school clinicians are trained in evidence-based practices (EBP), the training does not necessarily result in the implementation of those practices. This study explores factors that influence implementation of a particular EBP, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). Semi-structured telephone interviews with 35 site administrators and clinicians from across the United States were conducted 6-18 months after receiving CBITS training to discuss implementation experiences. The implementation experiences of participants differed, but all reported similar barriers to implementation. Sites that successfully overcame such barriers differed from their unsuccessful counterparts by having greater organizational structure for delivering school services, a social network of other clinicians implementing CBITS, and administrative support for implementation. This study suggests that EBP implementation can be facilitated by having the necessary support from school leadership and peers.

At first glance, implementing evidence-based treatments for ethnically diverse youths may seem to raise some concerns. Do manual-based treatments work for the diverse youths whom we see in our communities? Should clinicians only use culturally specific treatments? Unfortunately, the literature is not definitive. Several studies have found that tailoring interventions for specific populations can increase their effectiveness, whereas others have found that cultural adaptations of an intervention may actually dilute the effectiveness of the original treatment even though retention is improved. What seems to be important is to strike a balance between fidelity to evidence-based treatment and culturally informed care.