Symposia
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Patricia A. Arean, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Professor
University of Washington, Seattle
Seattle, Washington
William O'Connell, EdD, LMHC, NCC (he/him/his)
Associate Professor
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Juliann Salsbury, MSW (she/her/hers)
Behavioral Health Support Specialist Clinical Training Program Manager
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Brenna N. Renn, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Anna Ratzliff, MD, PhD (she/her/hers)
Professor
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Patrick Raue, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
Professor
University of Washington, Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Significance: A recent White House report on mental health research priorities and the Bipartisan Policy Center have highlighted the need to develop better methods to extend and prepare the mental health workforce in the U.S. Included in this call are projects that consider workforce development of Behavioral Health Support Specialists, bachelor’s level providers who are credentialed to offer low intensity behavioral intervention to support mental health efforts in settings that serve hard to reach communities, such as federally qualified primary care settings. This workforce is important to areas under served by mental health providers, such rural and frontier areas and urban areas in extreme poverty. Data from the NHS low-intensity CBT program finds that people with low acuity symptoms of depression and anxiety can benefit greatly from the intervention, while allowing PhD level interventionists to dedicate time to consumers with a higher level of need (cite).
Purpose: In this presentation, we will describe the research and development that went into creating a Washington State training program for a behavioral health support specialist that community colleges and universities in under-resourced areas can offer and can integrate I to existing four-year degree programs. We will also share preliminary data on the pilot programs effectiveness in addressing disparities.
Methods and
Results: In our initial pilots of the training program, we found that training bachelor’s level clinicians in low intensity interventions for mental health is feasible, acceptable and results in positive clinical outcomes. Because scope of practice is a concern for many licensed clinicians in these settings, we conducted focus groups and used User Centered Design methods to ensure scope of practice did not blur the lines between the behavioral health specialist and the licensed clinician roles, and that the behavioral health specialist role fits into the primary care context without disrupting the workflow in these settings, and allows the licensed clinician oversight. This resulted in a set of educational learning objectives and competencies to inform the training program, developed in collaboration with education experts and experts in CBT.
Summary: A bachelor level provider certified in low intensity CBT methods for low acuity patients in primary care medicine is not only effective, but can be designed to be acceptable and feasible in these settings. Currently WA State Senate is set to vote on approval of this credential.