Faced with the annual mandate of placing themselves in an accountability box of their own making – developing SMART goals – what’s a self-aware human being to do? Create the required number of goals that are simple, easily attainable, fully under your control, and – if you’re playing chess to management’s checkers – rooted in tasks you were already planning to do anyway.

Over three years, the Behavioral Health Improvement Institute assessed 15 evidence-based and promising practices [1] serving children and families through New Hampshire's publicly funded mental health system. What we learned offers valuable insights for behavioral health systems nationwide.