The purpose of the current study was to generate a grounded theory of program implementation based on the experiences of 6 Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) Team Leaders from community-based mental health agencies in Ohio who were charged with implementing the IDDT model and were working with the Ohio Substance Abuse Mental Illness Coordinating Center of Excellence (SAMI CCOE). The primary research question that guided the current study was: How do 6 IDDT Team Leaders in Ohio describe their experiences of implementing the IDDT model?
The study was designed to address the lack of research on implementation of evidence-based practice. Although efficacy of evidence-based practice is well established in the literature, little is known about how to implement such practices, specifically from the viewpoint of front-line clinicians. Therefore, an understanding of how IDDT Team Leaders prepared for and actually implemented the model would increase the knowledge base on implementation of an evidence-based practice.
Three main themes emerged from and were grounded in the data and included: (a) learning to be an IDDT Team Leader, (b) learning about and embracing the IDDT model, and (c) implementing the IDDT model. Results of the current study suggest the possibility of a model of implementation as a multi-dimensional process. This model builds on existing research on implementation at the macro level. It also builds on the limited research on implementation at the micro level while offering a new perspective on implementation. The framework of this model can be used to guide future research on implementation of the IDDT model from the perspective of front-line clinicians, specifically the IDDT Team Leader.
Additional findings that did not contribute to the main theme but were noteworthy are presented, and implications for counselor education, the field of counseling, and the Ohio Substance Abuse Coordinating Center of Excellence are discussed. Finally, limitations of the current study are presented, and recommendations for theory and research are provided.