Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) are mental health treatments provided by community mental health systems and other providers. EBPs have been researched to try to make sure they work. For the research to have happened, the Evidence Based Practice (EBP) has to have been done in a certain, practiced way. As long as the EBP is delivered in the same way as it was delivered when the research was done, it is thought that the program will be as successful as a treatment as when the research was done.

Promising Practices are not evidence-based, but they show a lot of promise that they will be effective as a treatment. Some Promising Practices will go into the research phase to possibly be proven as Evidence Based Practices. Some will remain Promising Practices. A Promising Practice may gain momentum, and stay around and be used, or some may fade away.It takes a large amount of research and funding to demonstrate the value of a Promising Practice. Sometimes there is money available to study a Promising Practice to turn it into an Evidence Based Practice. Sometimes the research does not show the value of a Promising Practice. There are fidelity measures and scales that are used rigorously to ensure that providers implement Evidence Based Practices according to specific standards of practice.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and its Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) provide Evidence Based Practice KITS. KIT stands for Knowledge Informing Transformation. EBP KITs are often called ToolKITs.

When a treatment works well under controlled research conditions it is called efficacy. When a treatment works well in community treatment situations or real world circumstances the treatment is considered an effective treatment. The goal of every Evidence Based Practice is to help service providers offer treatment that is effective.

Michigan has implemented many Evidence Based Practices statewide. Treatment of people with severe mental illnesses/psychiatric diagnoses often fall upon community mental health programs (publicly funded programs) due to high percentages of poverty and unemployment. Treatment becomes a major financial investment for state and local governments.

EBPs that have been implemented statewide are:

Model Fidelity

There are measures for each above-mentioned Evidence Based Practice that are called fidelity measures or scales. Program or Model Fidelity is when what is offered is as close to the original program or treatment (the practice tested) as possible. Program or Model Fidelity increases treatment effectiveness.

There are times when insurance payment may not be forthcoming, if treatment delivered is not an evidence based practice. EBPs try to inform people how things should be done to get the best results. The goal of Evidence Based Practices is to make sure that treatments used are effective.