Center on Psychiatric Disability and Co-Occurring Medical Conditions

Implementing Mental Health Evidence-Based Practices: The Case of Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP®)

Course Description:

While we now have “evidence-based practices” (EBP) in mental health, we know far less about how to implement them in real-world settings. Effective implementation strategies at multiple levels are essential when using the products of science to improve the lives of people with mental health challenges.

This eight-module online course presents a comprehensive approach for successfully introducing EBPs with fidelity and positive outcomes for service users. Faculty address the science of implementation and how to sustain innovative programs as part of mental health systems change. The stages of implementation, policy issues, and scale-up strategies are presented. The EBP WRAP is used as an example of how knowledge generated through science can be introduced on a wide scale in real-world settings. Some features of the WRAP intervention facilitate implementation while others make it more difficult. WRAP implementation in three states is examined to illustrate these and other points. Learners will accomplish the following objectives:

  1. understand the relevance of EBPs and the importance of implementation concepts and measures in interpreting intervention research results;
  2. acquire a conceptual framework and action steps for moving EBPs into practice, including the six stages of implementation;
  3. understand how the organizational environment and community influence successful implementation;
  4. learn the relationship between EBPs and consumer empowerment and recovery-oriented services; and
  5. see how large scale implementation of EBPs works on state and national levels.

All instruction and instructional materials are web based. Each of the 8 modules includes a 30-minute lecture (Windows Media), downloadable Powerpoint Presentations (Adobe PDF), homework assignments (included in the slide presentation), and required readings from a list of selected readings (Adobe PDF). Text transcripts are posted for all audio lectures. Your computer must have the system requirements listed below to benefit from the series.

Continuing Education

NASW Credits: This course is approved by the National Association of Social Workers (provider #886456556 ) for 8 continuing education contact hours.

USPRA CPRP Credits: The UIC Center is approved by the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (Provider #102) to sponsor continuing education for Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners (CPRP). Course completion is approved for 8 CPRP continuing education contact hours.

System Requirements

Each participant must have his or her own e-mail address and Internet access. Hardware required: your computer must have a sound card, speakers or headphones. Software required: it is strongly that you use the Internet Explorer web browser, version 8 or later. Later versions of Mozilla Firefox are compatible, but they require that you have an additional plug-ins (available here) installed. Also required are Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download), Windows Media Player (free download). For additional information regarding this or other NRTC courses, please email center4healthandsdc@gmail.com.

Faculty:

Karen Blase

Karen Blase, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Robert Paulson

Robert Paulson, Ph.D., Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida

Susan Lang

Susan Lang, Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, Incorporated


Register Online

Cost: $5 processing fee. Payment is by major credit card only. To waive processing fee contact Kimberly Skinner at skinnerk@uic.edu.

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Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Long-Term Mental Illness
Employment Intervention Demonstration Project
Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy
©2012 University of Illinois at Chicago