Community mental health settings as a context for evidence-based practice

One avenue for improving access to quality mental health care for children, adolescents, and their families is to provide services in the communities where they live. There has been growing support for the implementation of evidence-based practice in community mental health settings to address the complex needs of diverse young clients. Evidencebased practice encompasses psychometrically sound assessments and empirically sup ported treatments with appreciation of the culture of communities in which they are pro vided. This chapter reviews the background of the community mental health movement, describes community mental health settings and the current status of youth evidencebased practices in community care contexts, and explores barriers to and prospects for bringing tested practices for youths into community-based care.