Behavioral Health TIG Week: Hot Tips from the Field: What I Wish I Knew as an Internal Evaluator in Behavioral Health by Liz Harvey

Date: Sunday, August 24, 2025

Hi, I’m Liz Harvey, founder of Behavioral Health Outcomes Data Services. With a background in quantitative research on adolescent identity, I’m passionate about helping behavioral health initiatives learn, improve, and tell their impact stories through data. I’ve led evaluation projects across health, human services, and social science, including SAMHSA funded Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), reentry programs, Healthy Marriage & Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) projects, and California’s Child and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative.

Fresh out of graduate school, I thought I was ready to take on a community-based evaluation project. After all, I had taken a program evaluation class and read plenty of peer-reviewed articles about it… right? Then I landed my first consulting gig and got a crash course in real-world evaluation.

I was tasked with evaluating a three-year behavioral health prevention program AFTER it had ended. The data? Scattered, inconsistent, incomplete. My job? Retroactively collect, analyze, and report findings to a major funder, and influence a statewide organization to improve its data culture. Yikes.

Lessons Learned

Behavioral health evaluation isn’t clean or linear. It’s messy, human, and filled with complexities. Clients, providers, and organizations often operate under intense pressure. If data collection feels like a burden, it’s our job to make it meaningful.

Hot Tips for Early-Career Evaluators

• Embrace the Discomfort and Fail Forward.
  You won’t have all the answers, and that’s okay. If you don’t know, just ask. Asking good questions is part of what makes a great evaluator, so embrace this role. You’ll make mistakes. That’s normal. The key is to keep learning. To quote JFK Jr., “An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”
• Start with Relationships.
  Coming from academia with no clinical background, I had to first understand the people and their environment. I spent time getting to know direct service staff: their stories, their “why,” and the realities of their work. Trust-building isn’t optional; it is absolutely essential for meaningful evaluation.
• Speak Their Language.
  Data can feel abstract or even threatening. I learned to use analogies that resonated with providers, connect findings to client success stories, and ground conversations in their lived experience.
• Make Data Fun (Yes, It’s Possible).
  I ditched dry reports and used interactive activities, and games to make data feel approachable. When done well, data sharing can be a playful learning experience.
• Use Data as a Morale Booster.
  Sharing positive client quotes and highlighting outcome trends helped staff see the impact of their work, especially during tough seasons when burnout was highly prevalent.
• Work Alongside, not Above.
  I positioned myself alongside staff, offering coaching on interpreting data and using it for decision-making and program improvement. Data became a learning tool, not a weapon for accountability.
• Model a Learning Culture.
  Our outcomes team followed the fiscal department’s lead by holding regular data reviews. These meetings normalized outcomes data as part of leadership, not just compliance.
• Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help.
  I’m grateful to have had a supervisor who encouraged me to join AEA, which became a lifeline. Through that network, I found mentors, collaborators, and friends. Leaning on others will make you a stronger, more thoughtful evaluator.

So What?

Your first evaluation project won’t be perfect, and neither will your 1000^th. What matters is showing up with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to learning. In behavioral health, evaluation is about relationships and culture as much as it is about data. Stick with it, and you’ll grow through the process. By leaning on community, asking questions, and staying curious, you’ll not only learn but you’ll help push this practice forward.

The American Evaluation Association is hosting Behavioral Health TIG Week with our colleagues in Behavioral Health Topical Interest Group. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our Behavioral Health TIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org. AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.