About Us

The Center for Evidence-Based Practices (CEBP) at Case Western Reserve University was established in 1999 as a partnership between the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and the Department of Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. This partnership collaborates with and is supported by the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) as well as a number of contracts with community health authorities and other healthcare delivery systems nationally.

In July 2020, the CEBP joined the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University, one of four research and training centers within the Mandel School. The Begun Center has also been the administrative home to The Center for Innovative Practices since 2008, an Ohio Center of Excellence that provides consulting and training to organizations that provide mental health and/or substance abuse services to children.

The CEBP partners with numerous other universities, technical-assistance organizations, and service systems in Ohio and other states.

What We Do

The Center for Evidence Based Practices offers technical assistance in the form of skills training, clinical and administrative consultation and program evaluation for multiple practice models. Multiple primary “product lines” constitute the majority of our business, namely:

Assertive Community Treatment

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is an evidence-based practice that improves outcomes for people with severe mental illness who are most at-risk of psychiatric crisis and hospitalization and involvement in the criminal justice system. ACT is one of the oldest and most widely researched evidence-based practices in behavioral healthcare for people with severe mental illness.

Forensic Assertive Community Treatment

Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) is an adaptation of Assertive Community Treatment for individuals involved in the criminal justice system. This adaptation of the traditional ACT team also includes forensic specialist team members and connections with specialty docket courts and other providers in the community who are specifically trained to address the unique needs of justice involved individuals and help them navigate this system.

Co-occurring Disorders

Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment

The Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) model is an evidence-informed practice that improves quality of life for people with co-occurring severe mental illness and substance use disorders by combining substance abuse services with mental health services. It helps people address both disorders at the same time—in the same service organization by the same team of treatment providers.

Dual Disorder Capability

There are two widely recognized resources available to help service organizations assess their capability (or capacity) to provide treatment to people diagnosed with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental disorders and to develop and implement a plan to do so with increasing capacity over time. These tools are known as the following:

Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addiction Treatment (DDCAT) Index
Dual Diagnosis Capability in Mental-Health Treatment (DDCMHT) Index

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthen the person’s own motivation for change. It is a way of working with persons to assist them in accessing their intrinsic motivation to change behaviors that contradict their essential values and interfere with the achievement of their life goals. Motivational Interviewing is both a philosophy and a set of strategic techniques. It is an evidence-based treatment with a broad range of applications.

Supported Employment/Individual Placement and Support

Supported Employment/Individual Placement and Support (SE/IPS) is an evidence-based practice that helps people with mental illness and other disabilities identify and acquire part-time or full-time jobs of their choice in the community with rapid job-search and placement services. It emphasizes that work is not the result of treatment and recovery but integral to both. SE/IPS is very different from traditional vocational rehabilitation. It emphasizes consumer choice as well as time-unlimited and individualized follow-along services, among other distinct components.

Substance Use Disorder Center of Excellence (SUD COE)

The Substance Use Disorder Center of Excellence is dedicated to addressing the addiction crisis in Ohio. The SUD COE works to impact this issue through developing and providing technical assistance (training/resources and consultation) for behavioral health professionals around the State who treat people with substance use disorders. The SUD COE supports staff and organizations in their efforts to implement Evidenced-Based, Evidence-Informed, and Evidence-Supported Practices and Interventions.

Mission

The CEBP at Case Western Reserve University is a technical-assistance organization that promotes recovery among people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and co-occurring disorders through the implementation of evidence-based practices and emerging best practices in behavioral healthcare.

Vision

The CEBP is an internationally valued resource for implementing best practices in behavioral healthcare.

Values

Integrity: In relationships, service delivery, and product development
Effectiveness: In training, consultation, program design, and implementation
Person-centeredness: Stage-based and motivational approaches with individuals, organizations, and systems
Collaboration: Inclusive partnerships with service providers and community stakeholders
Commitment: Helping partners realize their vision as they assist people seeking their services