Advancing the behavioral health workforce: An innovative integrated care and substance use disorder training model to improve outcomes for people in medically underserved communities.

INTRODUCTION: It is critical that we strengthen the ability of the behavioral health workforce to better manage the complex behavioral and physical health needs of people in medically underserved areas. Despite the knowledge that integrated care (IC) models improve patient outcomes and experience, provider satisfaction, and health care costs, educational and experiential training in IC is limited, limiting workforce capacity to deliver this care. METHOD: Through the Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Rutgers University Integrated Substance Use Disorder Training Program (RUISTP), we partner with community-based primary care clinics to implement an interprofessional fellowship program for psychologists, social workers, physician assistants, and advanced practice nurses. The RUISTP simultaneously provides training and implements IC within these community-based systems. Our multiple-methods evaluation design examines data-driven indicators of feasibility, uptake, and program success during implementation and sustainability phases and assesses changes in organizational beliefs and practices, provider competencies, and service utilization throughout the project period. RESULTS: This article describes the significance and innovation of (a) an IC training program, (b) an implementation plan for sustained change within systems of care, and (c) evaluative methodology to assess and improve IC and SUD service delivery and training. These data will be used to create a template for other academic and health care systems nationally. DISCUSSION: It is the mission of this program to use an innovative training, implementation, and evaluation design to enhance IC and SUD services, bolster the behavioral health workforce trained to provide high-quality IC, and inform replications of this model in other geographic and clinical settings, particularly those in medically underserved communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Efficacy of the team solutions program for educating patients about illness management and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the demonstrated efficacy of psychosocial approaches to schizophrenia treatment that include a psychoeducational component, such as illness management, the implementation of these approaches into routine mental health treatment has been slow. The authors sought to examine the efficacy of a comprehensive, modularized, psychoeducational program called Team Solutions, which was designed to educate patients with major mental illnesses about their illness and how to manage it. Team Solutions was chosen for study because it is available over the Internet and other venues at no cost and is used by mental health agencies across the United States and Canada. METHODS: Seventy-one persons with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder from three day treatment settings participated in this randomized, single-blind study. Participants were randomly assigned to attend one of two interventions: the Team Solutions intervention, which consisted of participating in a 24-week psychoeducational group focused on illness management, or treatment as usual. RESULTS: For participants who attended the experimental group, significant improvement was observed in knowledge about schizophrenia. In addition, client satisfaction was high. However, no changes were observed in symptoms or functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated that participation in the Team Solutions psychoeducational group improved participants' knowledge. However, participation in the program did not demonstrate superiority over treatment as usual with respect to secondary and tertiary outcomes, such as symptom severity, treatment adherence, and global functioning.