Training in Evidence-Based Assessment and Treatment of Pediatric Anxiety and OCD in a Large Hospital Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder are common presenting concerns for youth seeking treatment in outpatient psychiatric clinics. A large empirical literature indicates the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for these conditions, yet previous studies of community providers indicate that implementation of this type of therapy is highly inadequate. The clinical workforce consists primarily of master’s level providers; however, most master’s graduate programs contain limited training in evidence-based practice or specialization in working with specific clinical populations. In this paper, we describe a training program for licensed master’s level clinicians within a large pediatric outpatient psychiatric clinic. This ongoing training program has been aimed toward improving the competence and confidence of clinicians using evidence-based assessments and interventions for youth with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. We highlight some of the challenges and opportunities, and efforts toward sustainability and promoting ongoing fidelity to evidence-based practices.