ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with concept definitions and descriptions of different types of interventions and prevention efforts. For instance, in social work, the aim of evidence-based interventions is usually to prevent or reduce social or health problems. Increased understanding of the complex causal processes underlying mental health may be used in the process of developing more effective methods of intervention. Risk and protective factors may be related to the family, the school, the peer group, and the individual, and may be targeted in preventive interventions at the universal level. In the view of P. Mrazek and R. Haggerty, health promotion is more concerned with raising competence, self-esteem, or well-being rather than preventing psychological or social problems or mental disorders. Evidence-based practice in medicine, psychological practice, and social work is covered next, followed by a more detailed discussion of evidence-based treatments and empirically supported programs.
