Moving from Implementation Science to Implementation Practice: The Need to Solve Practical Problems to Improve Behavioral Health Services
Stop waiting for perfect studies—build your agency’s own system to adopt and sustain EBPs now.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Vroom and colleagues wrote a position paper. They say implementation science should turn into daily implementation practice.
The goal is to help behavioral health clinics adopt and keep evidence-based practices. The paper gives no new data. It offers a roadmap for action.
What they found
The authors found that waiting for perfect studies slows real-world use. Teams need practical tools now, not later.
They call for building agency skills to choose, test, and keep EBPs without outside grants.
How this fits with other research
Vivanti et al. (2025) extend this view to autism services. They map policy gaps that block screening and NDBI uptake. Their EPIS lens shows why big-P and little-p rules matter.
D’Agostino et al. (2023) narrow the focus to NDBIs. They give staff-training tips that match Vroom’s call for practical help.
Bustos et al. (2021) show the idea in action. Community EIBI teams picked ERIC strategies and liked them. Their case study proves agencies can drive adoption without university crews.
Freeman et al. (2025) detail the drivers you need. Their OW-PBS toolkit lists training, coaching, and systems steps for disability agencies.
Why it matters
You can start today. Pick one EBP your team already knows. Use the ISSS to track how you roll it out. Meet for 15 minutes each week to tweak the plan. Share wins and glitches. This turns science into practice and keeps your services evidence-based.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
It is well recognized that the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) is critical to improving service outcomes for those receiving behavioral health services. However, EBPs are not easily implemented in behavioral health settings, and there are many challenges to supporting these services over time. Recently, research efforts in implementation science (IS) have greatly expanded our understanding of issues that influence the successful implementation of EBPs. Unfortunately, less effort has been devoted to translating this research theory on a practical level to help individual service entities solve the specific problems of putting programs into place. A process is needed where service organizations and practitioners can build their capacity, informed by IS research, to improve service outcomes. The purpose of this commentary is to describe the IS research base, provide an introduction to implementation practice, describe challenges confronting practitioners, and propose necessary steps in building organizational capacity that enables practitioners to implement the most effective services available.
Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s11414-021-09765-1