Mental health interventions for children in adversity: Pilot-testing a research strategy for treatment selection in low-income settings

► Presents an innovative research strategy for treatment selection combining practice- and evidence-driven resources. ► The study merges global and local knowledge about needs, applicability, feasibility and effectiveness of family-based care. ► The strategy allows development of complex mental health interventions by combining specific treatment components. ► Recommends stepped care, combining community mobilization, parenting training, cognitive behavior therapy components. ► Contributes to the translation of research into policy and practice, especially for low-resource settings.