Symposia
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Jordan Albright, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Julie Worley, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Samantha Rushworth, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Elise Cappella, Ph.D.
Vice Dean for Research, Professor of Applied Psychology
New York University
New York, New York
Sophia Hwang, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Baltimore, Maryland
Shannon Testa, B.A.
Clinical Research Coordinator
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Biiftu Duresso, B.A.
Clinical Research Coordinator
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Natalie Dallard, M.A.
Director, Evidence Based Practice and Innovation Center
Community Behavioral Health, DBHIDS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jayme Banks, PsyD, MBA
Deputy Chief of Prevention, Intervention, & Trauma
School District of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cherry Du, LPC, NCC
EBP Implementation Manager
Evidence Based Practice and innovation center, community behavioral health
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Courtney Benjamin Wolk, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bridging Mental Health and Education in Urban Schools (BRIDGE) is an evidence-based model for embedding teacher consultation and coaching activities into mental health teams’ regular workflow. In partnership with a large urban school district in the Mid Atlantic area of the United States and a local managed care organization, we are rolling out BRIDGE with approximately 180 clinicians across 150 schools over a four-year period. To date, 56 clinicians have completed training and consultation and approximately 21 additional clinicians will have complete data by June 2023.
In this presentation, we describe the (1) collaborative process that led to the selection of the intervention, (2) stakeholder-engaged process for adapting BRIDGE in partnership with the intervention developer, and (3) preliminary feasibility and acceptability outcomes. The implementation process, guided by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework, will be detailed along with programmatic adaptations, organized using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications to Evidence-based interventions (FRAME).
Adaptations and modifications to BRIDGE were necessary to accommodate implementation in this new district. Adaptations included contextual changes to treatment delivery (e.g., implemented in classrooms with students on clinician caseloads only), content adjustments to intervention materials (e.g., developing strategy briefs to aid in dissemination, updated intervention manual to include additional evidence-based practices), and training and evaluation modifications (e.g., incorporated experiential learning strategies, training components on understanding student experiences of trauma, developing case vignettes highlighting culturally relevant examples from this school district).
Preliminary feasibility data indicate that all BRIDGE-trained clinicians continued to participate in consultation and use BRIDGE six months later. Clinicians completed 77% of live consultation visits and 97% of virtual consultations. With minor adaptations to the BRIDGE model, it can be rapidly implemented and scaled in a large, under-resourced school district, and clinicians can sustain their use of BRIDGE over time. This work can inform future iterations of BRIDGE implementation and may provide guidance to other districts and community mental health organizations seeking to adapt and implement school mental health interventions.
