Examining facilitators and barriers to evidence‐based professional practice by mental health providers in schools

Abstract

This exploratory study surveyed school mental health providers across the United States to examine their perception of the facilitators and the barriers to evidence-based professional practice (EBPP) when offering mental health services to students in schools and to identify any group differences of these perceptions. A national sample of school counselors, school psychologists, and social workers (N= 303, 86.5% female) was surveyed using an original questionnaire. Results of the study identified 12 perceived facilitators to EBPP: educational and professional standards, continuing education training, graduate school training, personal theoretical orientation, publications from professional organizations, individual student needs, peer support from coworkers, providing supervision to other professionals, access to research, access to resources to provide specific programs and interventions, student preferences, and use of treatment plans. No perceived barriers to EBPP were identified when looking at the whole sample. However, an examination of specific groups within the study revealed two barriers: use of treatment plans and providing supervision to other professionals. Findings provide an updated understanding of perceived facilitators and barriers to EBPP and set the stage for future interventions targeting these factors.Implications and future research directions are discussed.

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“…Co-facilitation, at a minimum, can offer school counselors a partner for processing session progress, while an actual supervisor could enhance session processing, particularly for beginning school counselors (Tang, 2020). However, these factors (i.e., multiple facilitators, supervision, and a time and space for practitioner reflection) require greater resources, and we recognize that supervision in particular is challenging to obtain for full-time school counselors (Flegge, 2022). Advocacy on behalf of the school counselor is important to secure such resources, as needed, to enhance school counselor practices.…”