Patterns of practice in community mental health treatment of adult depression.
Community mental health therapists often endorse an eclectic orientation, but few studies reveal how therapists utilize elements of evidence-based psychotherapies. This study aimed to characterize treatment as usual patterns of practice among therapists treating depressed adults in community mental health settings.



Therapists (N = 165) from the USA's largest not-for-profit provider of community-based mental health services completed surveys assessing their demographics and practice element use with depressed adult clients. Specifically, therapists indicated whether they utilized each of 45 unique practice elements from the following evidence-based psychotherapies: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Behavioral Activation, Brief Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy, Mindfulness-Based CBT, Problem-Solving Therapy, and Self-Control Therapy. Principal component analysis was employed to identify practice patterns.



The principal component analysis included 31 practice elements and revealed a three-factor model with distinct patterns of practice that did not align with traditional evidence-based practice approaches, including: (i) Planning, Practice, and Monitoring; (ii) Cognitive, Didactic, and Interpersonal; and (iii) Between Session Activities.



Therapist-reported practice patterns confirmed an eclectic approach that brought together elements from theoretically distinct evidence-based psychotherapies. Future research is needed to explore how these patterns of practice relate to client outcomes to inform focused training and/or de-implementation efforts.
a Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences , Indiana University , Bloomington , IN , USA.|b Group Health Research Institute MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation , Seattle , WA , USA.|c Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA.
Cara C
CC
Lewis
d Abacist Analytics , Austin , TX , USA.
C Nathan
CN
Marti
e Department of Psychological Sciences , University of Missouri , Columbia , MO , USA.
Brigid R
BR
Marriott
a Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences , Indiana University , Bloomington , IN , USA.
Kelli
K
Scott
f Centerstone Research Institute , Bloomington , IN , USA.
David
D
Ayer
D000328:Adult; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
community mental health; depression; practice elements; treatment as usual