Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program - Chatham University's Counseling Psychology Masters (MSCP) and PsyD programs and Occupational Therapy (OTD) program propose competing continuation of a recruitment, retention, and training project which aims to increase the supply of behavioral healthcare professionals and improve the distribution of a well-trained behavioral workforce who understand the needs of children, adolescents, and young adults and their risks for mental health, trauma, and behavioral health disorders. A total of 44 behavioral health trainees - 4 PsyD, 4 OTD, and 28 MSCP - will complete the recruitment, retention, and training project. We will partner with five experiential training sites serving children, adolescents, and young adults from medically underserved communities and/or in high need high demand areas and providing interprofessional team-based care that integrates behavioral health care into primary care. Our training sites include three federally qualified health centers, one is a non-profit, Ryan White funded integrated care clinic, and one is a comprehensive center with residential psychiatric care, outpatient care, and school-based care. Graduate students will be selected to receive stipends based on their interest in working with children, adolescents, and young adults, in interdisciplinary, integrated care settings, and/or in medically underserved communities or high need high demand areas. To recruit a diverse workforce, students holding identities that are underrepresented in psychology and occupational therapy will receive priority. Stipend recipients will enter an intensive, interdisciplinary program including 1) experiential learning at one of the five field placement sites serving children, adolescents, and young adults in medically underserved communities and high need high demand areas using interprofessional, team-based models of care, 2) enhanced didactic coursework, and 3) co-curricular interdisciplinary training. Trainees will take an enhanced field placement course that provides in-depth training on behavioral health disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults, risks for trauma, mental health, and behavioral health disorders among children, adolescents, and young adults, evidence-based approaches to such disorders, trauma and trauma-informed care, tele-behavioral health, social determinants of health, and cultural and linguistic standards. Co-curricular interdisciplinary continuing education events and workshops will include faculty, site supervisors and trainees. These events will cover the same topics to provide faculty and staff training as well as opportunities for trainees to connect learning from the course to presentations by experts in the continuing education events. An interdisciplinary standardized patient simulation experience with social work, psychiatry, and other healthcare trainees will emphasize interdisciplinary training and leverage grant resources by including faculty, trainees, and site supervisors from other grantees. Trainees, faculty, and staff will complete online training on workforce wellbeing and resources to reduce burnout as well as leadership and supervision to support current supervisors and increase the number of future supervisors. Ongoing assessments for quality improvement will include data collected at regular intervals from student, faculty, and site supervisor perspectives. This data will be monitored regularly to adjust as needed to assure program success. A primary outcome is job placement rate, particularly jobs serving children, adolescents, and young adults, in interdisciplinary, integrated care settings, and/or in underserved communities or high need high demand areas. Chatham is requesting funding priority and preference. 53.19% of our graduates are employed in MUC. All 5 sites include psychology, social work, and psychiatry. One site qualifies as rural for the additional 5 points.
