Leveraging Implementation Science and Practice to Support the Delivery of Evidence-Based Practices in Services for Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

As research and policy shift toward the use of evidence-based programs in settings that serve youth with emotional and behavioral disorders, stakeholders (e.g., teachers, mental health clinicians) are increasingly seeking to identify, adopt, and implement evidence-based programs. However, stakeholders sometimes struggle to implement these programs and practices as intended. Such research-to-practice gaps are not uncommon and are the focus of research efforts in a number of fields. These efforts have led to the field of implementation science and practice that focuses on the processes involved in facilitating the uptake and sustainment of effective evidence-based programs in community settings. In this chapter, we provide a broad overview of implementation science and practice, comment on the current state of implementation science and practice, and provide definitions and frameworks to guide implementation science and practice in services for youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Suggestions for expanding implementation science and practice in settings serving youth with emotional and behavioral disorders are discussed.