Distilling Common History and Practice Elements to Inform Dissemination: Hanf-Model BPT Programs as an Example

There is a shift in evidence-based practice toward an understanding of the treatment elements that characterize empirically-supported interventions in general and the core components of specific approaches in particular. The evidence-base for Behavioral Parent Training (BPT), the standard of care for early-onset disruptive behavior disorders (Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder), which frequently co-occur with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is well-established; yet, an ahistorical, program-specific lens tells little regarding how leaders, including Constance Hanf at the University of Oregon, shaped the common practice elements of contemporary evidence-based BPT. Accordingly, this review summarizes the formative work of Hanf, as well as the core elements, evolution, and extensions of her work, represented in Community Parent Education (COPE; Cunningham, Bremner, & Boyle, 1995; Cunningham, Bremner, Secord, & Harrison, 2009), Defiant Children (DC; Barkley 1987; Barkley, 2013), Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC; Forehand & McMahon, 1981; McMahon & Forehand, 2003), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Eyberg, & Robinson, 1982; Eyberg, 1988; Eyberg & Funderburk, 2011), and the Incredible Years (IY; Webster-Stratton, 1981; 1982; 2008). Our goal is not to provide an exhaustive review of the evidence-base for the Hanf-Model programs; rather, our intention is to provide a template of sorts from which agencies and clinicians can make informed choices about how and why they are using one program versus another, as well as how to make inform flexible use one program or combination of practice elements across programs, to best meet the needs of child clients and their families. Clinical implications and directions for future work are discussed