Evidence-Based Treatments for Youth Mental Health Concerns and Life Saving Prevention Strategies: A Caregiver’s Guide

This training equips caregivers with the knowledge needed to understand and select appropriate evidence-based treatments (treatments that have been tested in research) for youth mental health concerns and will provide caregivers with information to help protect their youth from two major epidemics in our community and beyond: suicide and opioid overdose.

Specifically, this training helps: 

  1. Define Evidence-Based Treatments (EBTs)
  2. Advise caregivers how to select an EBT that will be an appropriate “fit” for youth;
  3. Define and discuss the role of evidence-based assessments in care;
  4. Discuss what to expect in treatment with a provider who uses EBTs;
  5. Offer resources to learn more about EBTs and how to find providers who offer them;
  6. Share EBT resources available in our local community.
  7. Share prevention strategies for youth suicide and opioid overdose.

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.

Email CEBBH@gmu.edu for further information and eligibility requirements.