Training psychologists for evidence-based practice.

Abstract

Abstract Evidence-base practice (EBP) is now commonplace in many health care services and, in recent years, there has been a healthy debate about the role of EBP in psychology. In this article, I provide information on the nature of EBP and how it is consistent with professional training models and standards in psychology. In discussing some of the concerns that have been raised about the value of EBP in psychology, I present research findings on the relevance and potential impact of evidence-based assessment and treatment practices. Finally, after highlighting the promise of EBP, I offer some recommendations for how training efforts in professional psychology should be refocused in order to optimally prepare current and future psychologists to practice in an evidence-based manner. In die past decade, the promotion of an evidence-based approach to the practice of professional psychology has taken centre stage in most discussions about the nature and future of professional psychology. Developed within medicine, the evidence-based practice model is now being integrated into many health and human service systems, including mental and behavioural health care, social work, education, and criminal justice (Barlow, 2004; Mullen & Streiner, 2004). Leading experts in psychotherapy and mental health research have predicted that, by 2010, thee use of evidence-based treatments will be required in health care systems and that practice guidelines will be a standard part of the delivery of psychotherapy services (Norcross, Hedges, & Prochaska, 2002). In this article, I examine the mounting evidence that supports the application of the principles of evidence-based practice (EBP) to the practice of professional psychology. Following a presentation of the nature of EBP and consideration of its fit with current professional standards in psychology, I will briefly examine some of die controversies surrounding the implementation of EBP in psychology before moving on to present research findings on the relevance and potential impact of evidence-based assessment and treatment practices. Having highlighted the promise of EBP in psychology, in a final section, I will offer some training recommendations aimed at ensuring that practicing professional psychologists, as well as those in graduate training, are competent to deliver the best scientifically informed health care services to the public. EBP and Professional Standards in Psychology EBP involves the synthesis of information drawn from systematically collected data, clinical expertise, and patient preferences when considering health care options for patients (Institute of Medicine, 2001; Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, & Richardson, 1996), and emphasizes the critical importance of informing patients, based on the best available research evidence, about viable options for assessment, prevention, or intervention services. Therefore, in order to practice in an evidence-based manner, a health care professional must be familiar with the current scientific literature and must use both the research evidence and scientifically informed decisionmaking skills to determine the ways in which research evidence can inform service planning for a patient. Within psychology, it would be erroneous to equate EBP with any particular set of psychological services or lists of empirically supported assessments or treatments, as the full range of relevant research must be considered and utilized, not just treatment outcome studies and psychometric evaluations of assessment instruments (Hunsley, in press). Current training models in professional psychology include the scientist-practitioner, practitioner-scholar, and clinical-scientist. All of these emphasize the need for psychologists to be competent in the use and interpretation of scientific methods. Accordingly, as suggested by the American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice (2006), the tenets of the evidence-based movement are entirely consistent with the training models found in professional psychology programs. …