CARE Lab
The need for effective, efficient behavioral healthcare is pervasive.
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The mission of the CAllahan REsearch (CARE) Lab is to advance behavioral health service delivery through implementation science approaches to training, supervision, and workforce development. Our work examines how clinical competency is defined, measured, and supported in applied settings, with the goal of improving the adoption, quality, and sustainability of evidence-based mental health care, particularly in underserved and resource-constrained communities.
How are we advancing our mission?
Primary lines of inquiry at this time focus on:
- Applying implementation science frameworks (e.g., the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and RE-AIM) to identify determinants of practice and to guide the selection and evaluation of implementation strategies for evidence-based behavioral health interventions in real-world settings.
- Advancing measurement-based care as a core implementation strategy to support clinical decision-making, supervision, and continuous quality improvement.
- Developing and validating models of competency assessment across the training-to-workforce pipeline in health service psychology, with attention to how training and supervision function as mechanisms of implementation.
- Conducting systems-level analyses of workforce capacity, service access, and patient outcomes to inform program development, policy, and service delivery redesign.
Why does our work matter?
Evidence-based interventions improve population mental health only when they are effectively implemented within existing systems of care. By treating training clinics and partnering health systems as implementation laboratories and strengthening workforce training, supervision, and measurement infrastructure within routine conditions of care, our work targets the mechanisms through which behavioral health services achieve reach, effectiveness, and equity.
We view doctoral training as a critical leverage point for behavioral health implementation. The CARE Lab conceptualizes training and supervision as implementation strategies that shape provider behavior, service quality, and system capacity across the training-to-workforce pipeline. By integrating implementation science methods with competency assessment, measurement-based care, and digital tools that support supervision, patient triage, and treatment adjustment, our work seeks to improve implementation outcomes such as adoption, fidelity, and sustainment of evidence-based behavioral health services. These efforts inform workforce policy and capacity-building initiatives aimed at reducing disparities in access to evidence-based care.
Current Projects
National Survey of Psychology Majors
Socorro Project
