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Data-Informed Communication: How Measurement-Based Care Can Optimize Child Psychotherapy

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Abstract

Measurement-based care (MBC) research and practice, including clinical workflows and systems to support MBC, are grounded in adult-serving mental health systems. MBC research evidence is building in child and adolescent services, but MBC practice is inherently more complex due to identified client age, the family system and the need to involve multiple reporters. This paper seeks to address a gap in the literature by providing practical guidance for youth-serving clinicians implementing MBC with children and their families. We focus on MBC as a data-informed, client-centered communication process, and present three key strategies to enhance usual care child and adolescent psychotherapy via developmentally-appropriate MBC. These strategies include (1) go beyond standardized measures; (2) lean into discrepancies; and (3) get curious together. Case-based examples drawn from various child-serving settings illustrate these key strategies of MBC in child psychotherapy.

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Acknowledgements

Dr. Connors’ time on this manuscript was supported by NIMH K08 MH116119 and Dr. Jensen-Doss and Dr. Douglas were supported by R34 MH118316. We are grateful for the Key Consideration 1 clinical case example shared by doctoral student clinician Katherine Longo who was supervised by Dr. Connors. We also appreciate reference management support by Sophia Selino and Megan A. Beuttenmuller.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA

    Elizabeth H. Connors & Amber W. Childs

  2. Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College, Nashville, TN, USA

    Susan Douglas

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Amanda Jensen-Doss

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  1. Elizabeth H. Connors
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Correspondence to Elizabeth H. Connors.

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Drs. Elizabeth Connors, Susan Douglas, and Amanda Jensen-Doss served on the editorial board of this journal at the time of submission, but were not involved in handling, review, or decisions about publication. This manuscript was subjected to the same masked review process as other submitted papers.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures

Vanderbilt University and Susan Douglas receive compensation related to the Peabody Treatment Progress Battery; and Susan Douglas has a financial relationship with MIRAH, and both are Measurement -Based Care (MBC) tools. The author declares a potential conflict of interest. There is a management plan in place at Vanderbilt University to monitor that this potential conflict does not jeopardize the objectivity of Dr. Douglas’ research.

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Connors, E.H., Childs, A.W., Douglas, S. et al. Data-Informed Communication: How Measurement-Based Care Can Optimize Child Psychotherapy. Adm Policy Ment Health (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-024-01372-4

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