Trainings Offered and General Eligibility Criteria

In an effort to increase the availability of cutting-edge, evidence-based behavioral health interventions for youth, adolescents, adults, and families in Northern Virginia, we offer a variety of training programs - using well supported training methods - to community providers at no-cost through two multi-disciplinary, externally funded training consortia:

  • The Northern Virginia Regional Consortium for Evidence-Based Practice, and
  • The Fairfax Consortium for Evidence-Based Practice

All training attendees are provided access to training and consultation (as applicable) in evidence-based interventions designed to treat a range of mental health concerns at no-cost to them.  

 

Our training programs provide clinical tools for the treatment of:

  • Depression,
  • Anxiety,
  • Disruptive-behavior,
  • Problem eating behavior,
  • Trauma/Post-traumatic stress,
  • High-risk behaviors (suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury),
  • Opioid and other substance misuse/abuse.
  • And more!

All of our training programs include instruction on how to deliver evidence-based interventions and further, many programs offer certifications, micro-credentialing, and/or CEUs upon successful program completion.

We also offer fidelity monitoring, outcome assessment, and implementation support to organizations that participate in our programs and implement the program interventions.

Each of our training consortia were developed through an academic-community partnership between the Psychology Department at George Mason University (GMU) and two community organizations, Healthy Minds Fairfax and the Northern Virginia Regional Projects Office (NVRPO), which provide the funding for these training programs. These consortia are steered by multidisciplinary leadership groups which represents multiple youth, family, and adult serving sectors of the Northern Virginia area, and include personnel from:

  • GMU,
  • Healthy Minds Fairfax,
  • NVRPO,
  • Northern VA Community Services Boards (City of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties),
  • Department of Neighborhood and Community Services,
  • Fairfax-Falls Church Children’s Services Act,
  • Fairfax County Public Schools,
  • Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and Department of Family Services.

Multiple faculty from the Clinical Psychology - and other related GMU programs - participate in these consortia.

Why Evidence-Based Practice?

Many different treatment approaches are used to help individuals with mental health and substance abuse difficulties. Research shows some treatments work better than others for specific problems.

Treatments that have scientific evidence supporting their use are called evidence-based treatments (EBTs). Treatments become evidence-based once they have been compared through clinical trials - with dozens to hundreds of participants included in the research - and the results have been verified. As more studies are funded and conducted, evidence for each EBT being studied grows. Often, there is more than one EBT available for a given problem or set of problems, allowing clinicians flexibility in a treatment plan.

A goal of the Center for Evidence-Based Behavioral Health is to promote the use of evidence-based treatments in community settings by providing no-cost training and consultation to clinicians and supervisors in our local community.

In-Kind Services

It is encouraged that participants of our training programs consider becoming contracted behavioral health providers with Healthy Minds Fairfax (Comprehensive Services Act, Short-Term Behavioral Health) to use what they learn from us to help our surrounding community. 

We often have waitlists for our trainings, and contracted behavioral health providers receive priority access.

Benefits of Participation

There are many benefits to participating in CEBBH consortia trainings:

  • Clinicians receive training and consultation in treatments shown to work for a range of mental health problems as well as continuing education credits at no-cost to them. 
  • Clinicians may also receive a “certification” or a micro-credential (i.e., micro-badge) for certain trainings, once all requirements are successfully completed. Clinicians who receive a certification or a micro-badge in sponsored trainings will have the opportunity to be listed on relevant Fairfax County, as well as affiliated program (e.g., TF-CBT) websites.

General Eligibility Requirements:

Each consortia has a different set of eligibility criteria, please note where each one differs:

The Northern Virginia Regional Consortium for Evidence-Based Practice (NVRC):

  1. Participant must be affiliated with one of the 5 Region 2 Community Services Boards (City of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun or Prince William Counties)
  2. Participant must meet the stated education, licensure, professional specialty, and/or experience requirements outlined for the specific training for which they are applying.

The Fairfax Consortium for Evidence-Based Practice (FC-EBP):

  1. Participant must currently be providing therapy services to youth/adolescents who reside within Fairfax County/City, Virginia or - for certain trainings - supervise clinicians who are serving this population.
  2. Participant must be licensed or license eligible (e.g., undergoing Board-approved supervision for licensure) to provide clinical therapy services.
    • State registrations or professional certification, in absence of a State license or Board-approved supervision, are not sufficient to attend most FC-EBP training programs.  .
  3. Participant must possess a masters degree or higher in a mental health-related field by the date of their training program.  
  4. Participant must attend the full duration of any training program to which they are accepted.  Barring emergencies, we do to allow partial attendance.
  5. Participant must complete 2-4 brief surveys used to evaluate the training program(s) over the 12-months following the training program.
  6. Participants of in-person trainings are responsible for paying out-of-pocket to park on GMU's campus.

Unless otherwise stated in a training program's application announcement, all of the above criteria apply.  There are programs with additional requirements and programs with exceptions to these criteria; additions and exceptions are listed within training announcements and should not be assumed applicable across programs.

For Further Information:

To read more about each of the trainings that CEBBH offers, click through the training titles on the lefthand side of this page.

To inquire about upcoming trainings please email us at CEBBH@gmu.edu.

When emailing, please include the names of the training(s) in which you are interested, your primary practice location and whether you practice is primarily geared towards youth, adults, or both.