CHDI Hosts 17th Annual Evidence-Based Practice Conference
The 17th Annual Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Conference was held on May 20th at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
This year's conference, themed "Connect. Learn. Grow. Share" brought together nearly 500 behavioral health providers, school professionals, state agency staff, and others working with CHDI and the State of Connecticut to strengthen children's behavioral health EBPs.
Attendees were welcomed by Jodi Hill-Lilly, MSW (pictured at right), Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF), Gary Roberge, Executive Director of the Connecticut Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division (CSSD), and CHDI President and CEO Jeff Vanderploeg, PhD.
CHDI Chief Program Officer Jason Lang, PhD also gave attendees a high-level overview of the collective impact this network has had statewide, sharing that as of 2025, 700+ clinicians at 330 sites across Connecticut are now offering key trauma-focused EBPs for children, youth, and their families. This cumulative effort has resulted in 23,937 Connecticut children receiving an EBT!
Swipe through to see photos from opening remarks and throughout the day (and keep scrolling to see photos from some of the day's 33 workshops!).
For nearly two decades, CHDI has collaborated with state and federal partners, providers, and families to improve access to effective behavioral health services for children and youth. As part of this effort - and with funding and support from DCF and CSSD - we have hosted the EBP Conference annually since 2008 to provide training, support, and networking opportunities for clinicians disseminating evidence-based practices across the state. Together, we have developed a workforce in Connecticut that now delivers multiple evidence-based treatments and practices to thousands of children and families each year.
Keynote: Understanding Complex Trauma
Dr. Keith Cruise gives the keynote address at the 2025 EBP Conference
Following welcoming remarks, attendees heard from Keith Cruise, PhD, who gave a powerful keynote on complex trauma, "Complex Trauma: What it is and Why it Matters in Supporting Risk Reduction, Recovery, and Resilience for Youth Experiencing Multi-System Involvement." As co-director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ) and professor of psychology at Fordham University, Dr. Cruise shared expert insights on how complex trauma shapes youth behavior—and how we can support youth involved in multiple systems (e.g. juvenile justice, child welfare) through understanding, recovery, and resilience.
In the afternoon, Dr. Cruise also hosted a breakout session, "The Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) Model: What Mental Health Practitioners Need to Know When Working with Youth + Families Experiencing Juvenile Justice Involvement," providing a deeper dive on how the RNR model can improve outcomes for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, who have high rates of trauma exposure.
Breakout session highlights
Conference participants chose from 33 breakout sessions where providers and child-serving professionals enhanced their professional development and earned continuing education credits in a wide range of topics, including:
- Trauma screening
- Cultural sensitivity in clinical supervision and practice
- Increasing family/caregiver collaboration and engagement
- Supporting family connectedness
- Using data for better decision-making
- Complex trauma impact and interventions
- Trauma through a cultural lens
- Substance use treatment and confidentiality
- Creative ways to engage youth in EBPs through Disney stories, superhero fandom, yoga and mindfulness, and other tools
- Helping youth with co-occurring substance use and mental health needs
- Working with special populations, including early childhood, juvenile justice, autistic and neurodivergent youth, human trafficking survivors, and others
- Many other EBP- and condition-specific workshops
Swipe through the photo album to see some of the day's workshops!
2025 Honorees
Each year, CHDI also recognizes agencies and individual clinicians demonstrating outstanding performance in implementing an EBP model over the previous year (based on program data). 2024-25 honorees for each EBP included:
CHDI applauds all EBP providers across Connecticut for their ongoing work to improve the quality of children's behavioral health care.
