Evaluation of a progress monitoring and feedback intervention in a community mental health center for youth

Clinicians often have difficulty accurately predicting whether their patients are progressing as planned while enrolled in therapy. Use of a measurement feedback system (MFS) has been shown within the adult literature to improve mental health treatment outcomes, especially for those who are most likely to dropout from treatment. An MFS’s effects are theorized to work through clinician behavior (i.e., tailoring treatment) that is elicited in response to receiving patient feedback. The current study examined an MFS’s effects on treatment length and dropout rate after being implemented in one community mental health center for youth (n = 538; 57% male, 52% Latinx/Hispanic, M age = 9.80). Level of clinician implementation of the MFS was also examined, and higher levels were found to impact treatment outcomes. Limitations include systemic issues related to archival data, including use of a historical control. Clinical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed, in addition to recommended next steps for researchers interested in dissemination and implementation of effective mental health treatment.