SMART Center training activities are designed to align with the growing literature on implementation science, which recognizes that development of skillful practice in staff and practitioners requires multiple phases of effort. These include:
- Readiness development in the host environment, including among school staff and leadership at multiple levels;
- Knowledge transfer, such as through high-quality training that is guided by principles of adult learning;
- Follow-on consultation and coaching, that allows practitioners to develop expertise through data-driven feedback
- Sustainability activities that include development of local expertise and resources to minimize drift from practice expectations and assure that new staff are consistently brought to skillful practice.
Examples of research-based practice models and school- and district-wide strategies supported by the SMART Center are listed below:
- Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) – a school-based, group and individual intervention designed to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and behavioral problems and improve coping skills, functioning, grades and attendance.
- Brief Intervention Strategy for School Clinicians (BRISC) – a “Tier 2” engagement, assessment, brief intervention, and triage model for middle and high school students presenting with emerging mental health problems.
- Evidence based practices (EBPs) used by school and community based providers who serve students (e.g., Cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing)
- Trauma-informed school models at clinical, administrative, and school staff levels
- Disproportionality in discipline reduction strategies that also improve school climate, such as:
- Relationships to Enhance Learners’ Adjustment to Transitions and Engagement (RELATE)
- Greet-Stop-Prompt
- Establish-Maintain-Restore
- Multi-tiered systems of school-based behavioral health supports (MTSS) – Trainings and follow on support to buildings and districts on service system development and practice models
- School-based health center (SBHC) development, including fiscal, administrative, and practice models
- Individual support plans in the classroom (iBESTT) – a web-based approach to developing effective behavioral support plans for students with behavioral challenges
- Measurement-based care (MBC) in school mental health, to improve monitoring and effectiveness of any school-based mental health strategy
- “Tier 3 Wraparound” (T3W) – An adaptation of the National Wraparound Initiative’s evidence-based care coordination model to schools
- Social skills training for students with autism spectrum disorder
Note: this list is meant to be illustrative, as SMART TACore capacity to support specific models, treatments, and strategies varies over time and as a function of the context in which implementation support is sought.