Graduate Psychology Education Programs - roject Title: South Alabama HOPES: Health-Oriented Psychology Education for Substance Use Recovery Applicant Organization Name and Address: University of South Alabama, Office of Sponsored Program, 75 S University Blvd, AD 200, Mobile, AL 36688 Project Director Name and Contact Information: Kim Zlomke, Ph.D., Phone: (251) 460-6559; zlomke@southalabama.edu Website Address: https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/artsandsci/psychology/ Type of Program: Pre-Doctoral Psychology Graduate Program Funds Requested: $1,348,438 (total across three years) Funding Preference and Funding Priority Requested: USA requests Funding Priority for its demonstrated ability to train health service psychology professionals in integrated care settings. USA is eligible for Funding Preference Qualification 1, having placed 75% of graduates in medically underserved communities for the 2022-2024 Academic Years. The South Alabama HOPES: Health-Oriented Psychology Education for Substance Use Recovery project seeks to address the critical shortage of mental health providers in Southwest Alabama, particularly in underserved areas. Designated as both a Medically Underserved Area and a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area, Mobile County faces considerable challenges, including high rates of poverty, limited healthcare access, and adverse social determinants of health. These factors contribute to elevated rates of substance use disorders (SUDs), opioid use disorders (OUDs), and trauma. This initiative enhances the USA’s Clinical-Counseling Psychology (CCP) pre-doctoral training program to cultivate culturally competent, trauma-informed clinicians equipped to prevent, assess, and treat SUDs and OUDs. The project is structured around four key objectives: 1) Recruit and train trainees to effectively serve in community-based integrated care settings, 2) Design and implement a comprehensive training curriculum that integrates culturally competent, trauma-informed, and evidence-based care approaches, 3) Establish and strengthen clinical partnerships to create expanded training opportunities in OUD/SUD care, and 4) Offer ongoing professional development for faculty and community providers to ensure the delivery of high-quality instruction, supervision, and clinical care. The initiative aims to develop a diverse, sustainable behavioral health workforce committed to addressing systemic inequities by establishing partnerships with community clinics and offering targeted clinical training. Key resources supporting this project include the expertise of faculty specializing in integrated behavioral health, trauma, substance use, and community engagement, along with national experts in substance use disorders, SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), multicultural orientation, and motivational interviewing. Activities will include developing a tele-psychology clinic, providing evidence-based tele-psychology services, and implementing evidence-based assessments, treatments, and prevention strategies for SUDs/OUDs within integrated care clinics. The curriculum will also be expanded to include courses on SUDs/SBIRT, tele-psychology, motivational interviewing, and youth behavioral health equity. An Interprofessional Education Day will enhance training through case-based learning, emphasizing trauma-informed, culturally competent care in integrated care settings. Deliverables will include successful student recruitment and retention, positive course evaluations, increased patient services for SUD/OUD, and community-based provider training. Long-term outcomes will be assessed by tracking trainee career trajectories, their commitment to serving high-need areas, and integrating of project-developed training into the CCP curriculum.
