SuperAssist: Client-Centered Supervision Assist App for Mental Health Providers to Improve Job Well-being and Quality of Care - Project Summary/Abstract This mixed-methods pilot study will develop and test a Supervision Assist App (SuperAssist) for implementing Client-Centered Supervision (CCS) to improve supervision practices for mental health providers (providers) and ultimately improve their job well-being and skills, the quality of care, and outcomes for clients. The quality of mental health services in the United States relies greatly on the quality of front-line providers. However, burnout and high turnover are prevalent among this population. Innovative supervision practices are needed to address both the workforce challenges and the quality of care for clients they serve. CCS could help maximize providers’ strengths in engaging with clients around recovery goals while addressing their challenges on the job. The specific aims are: Aim 1: design and develop a SuperAssist beta version; Aim 2: conduct beta-testing of SuperAssist; and Aim 3: evaluate the feasibility and explore preliminary outcomes and change mechanisms of SuperAssist. In Aim 1, we will design and develop SuperAssist in collaboration with providers and supervisors at community mental health organizations via a user-centered and participatory app development approach. We will also develop a SuperAssist training manual. In Aim 2, we will invite 20 providers and their supervisors to beta testing to seek their feedback with the goal of tailoring the app to its end-users. The testers will use the app for six months after the SuperAssist training, provide feedback for improvement through semi- structured interviews after 1 month, then every two months, and complete process and outcome measures of SuperAssist, during the beta testing period. In Aim 3, we will recruit 40 providers and their supervisors for the experimental condition and the other 40 for the control condition (treatment as usual). The experimental group will receive the SuperAssist training and use the app for six months, and participate in online surveys (baseline [prior to implementation], 3 mo., and 6 mo.), as well as semi-structured interviews after 6 months of usage. We will use these data along with app response data to evaluate the feasibility and primary outcomes (i.e., provider job well-being and skills, quality of care, client outcomes) of SuperAssist. The control group will not receive the SuperAssist training or use the app but will complete the same outcome measures except for the SuperAssist usability questions. We will also collect recovery outcomes from clients receiving services from participating providers (i.e., two clients per provider). Key proposed mechanisms of action (i.e., supervisory support, role clarity) will also be assessed. We hypothesize that improved supervisory support facilitated by SuperAssist leads to increased care quality and outcomes via job well-being and client-centered practice. Successful completion of this study will result in an innovative supervision support tool to implement CCS, which can be readily transferred to community mental health practice settings to improve the workforce well-being and quality of care, ultimately leading to improved client outcomes. The study goal is aligned with the NIMH priority of developing innovative service delivery models to dramatically improve mental health service outcomes.
