Convergence: Connecting Levels of Analysis in Psychological Science
In the past, our field harbored distinct, and often competing, schools of thought that tackled different problems and produced findings that often appeared to diverge. Today, investigators attack shared problems at complementary levels of analysis and produce results that converge. Studies of people in a social world; mental systems of cognition and emotion; and biological mechanisms of the genome and the nervous system interconnect and yield an integrated psychological science. The APS 23rd Annual Convention displays, and celebrates, these advances in our field.

Invited Symposium

Dissemination of Evidence-Based Practice: The Science of Psychotherapy in the Community

Saturday, May 28, 2011, 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM
Jefferson East

Chair: Timothy Fowles
University of Delaware

Chair: Ryan Beveridge
University of Delaware

The development of strong evidence-based practices (EBPs) over the past decades has prompted clinical scientists to examine the process of dissemination. Presenters will discuss dissemination methods, challenges, and findings across multiple EBPs and in the context of specific EBPs.

Data-Based QA/QI in Community-Based Functional Family Therapy with Seriously Troubled Youths and Families: Lessons Learned and Next Steps
James F. Alexander
University of Utah
Organizing around Stirman et al.'s 2010 ACCESS model, Alexander will review, evaluate, and discuss steps to assess and improve evidence-based-practice service delivery in community-based settings. Data from, and experience with, hundreds of community sites and thousands of delinquent youths receiving functional family therapy will be reviewed.

Adele Hayes
University of Delaware

A View Inside Therapists' Offices: Examining Community-Based Psychotherapy for Children to Improve Dissemination of Evidence-Based Practices
Ann F. Garland
University of California, San Diego
Data on usual-care psychotherapy practice can identify potent targets for quality-improvement efforts. Results of a rigorous study of usual-care practice for children with disruptive behavior problems will be presented, highlighting key discrepancies between usual care and evidence-based treatments as potential dissemination targets.

Co-Author: Erin C. Accurso, University of California, San Diego

Co-Author: Lauren Brookman-Frazee, University of California, San Diego

Varda Shoham (Discussant)
University of Arizona and National Institute of Mental Health