Graduate Psychology Education Programs - Our project aims to prepare doctoral health service psychology students for integrated, interdisciplinary behavioral health careers within community-based primary care settings in high-need and high-demand areas. Indeed, our analysis of employment settings for our 2022-23 and 2023-24 graduates indicates that 64.77% work in areas officially designated as medically underserved, thus qualifying us for Funding Preference 1. This project focuses on training in trauma-informed care, substance use disorder (SUD) prevention and treatment, tele-behavioral health, and the utilization of clinically relevant assessments within primary care contexts for medically underserved communities. Among a variety of indicators, the need for this program is evident in the rising rates of opioid overdose deaths, particularly within medically underserved areas. These areas often lack access to adequate addiction treatment services, highlighting a critical gap in healthcare. The project will address this need by recruiting and training students in the health psychology track of our PsyD program in clinical psychology, emphasizing experiential training in community-based settings that integrate behavioral health into primary care. There are four key components of the training. Through didactic training, students will receive coursework in brief psychotherapies, health psychology, psychological assessment, the management of chronic pain, trauma-informed care, substance use across the lifespan, interprofessional practice, and diversity. Through experiential training, students will complete supervised practica in community-based settings, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration in the primary care context. Here, they will gain supervised experience with substance use/opioid use prevention, treatment, and recovery; trauma-informed care; the integration of psychological assessment within the primary care context; and the tools of tele-behavioral health. Within the faculty and staff development component, we will develop and deliver continuing education workshops on these same topics – where we seek to disseminate the most up-to-date information. These workshops will be available to faculty, students, and community partners. Finally, in the program evaluation/research component, a longitudinal study will track student career trajectories, examining the program's impact on their career choices and professional development. The project will utilize existing partnerships with community-based organizations and leverage the university's existing infrastructure, including the Psychology & Comprehensive Health Clinic and the HRSA-funded Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute Regional Area Health Education Center. The project's success will be measured by (a) the number of students recruited and trained in the program, (b) the extent to which students gain experience in SUD treatment, trauma-informed care, and interdisciplinary team-based care, (c) the number of students who pursue careers in community-based primary care settings in high-need and high-demand areas, and (d) the effectiveness of the continuing education workshops in improving faculty and staff knowledge and skills. Thus, this project has the potential to significantly impact the training of future psychologists, increasing their preparedness to address critical public health challenges and improve access to quality mental healthcare in underserved communities.
