Project Description:
Children and families residing in the United States are experiencing serious negative outcomes from an opioid epidemic. The public health impact from this epidemic is exacerbated by the lack of an integrated mental health /substance use workforce prepared to address the impact of trauma and other social determinants of health leading to OUD/SUD. Although the need for integrated mental health /substance use prevention and treatment services is widely accepted, implementation of integrated services often meets systemic barriers. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) Psychology Program faculty have developed this proposal to enhance its APA-accredited training of health psychology post-doctoral fellows to provide integrated, interdisciplinary, behavioral health and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and other Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services.
Goal I aims to train doctoral psychologists to provide integrated interdisciplinary trauma-informed OUD/SUD screening, prevention, and treatment services focusing on underserved pediatric populations in high need, high demand areas. Fellows will participate in didactic activities, including OUD/SUD and trauma-informed care orientation, monthly trauma-informed OUD/SUD Prevention and Treatment Curriculum Lectures, individual and group supervision, the California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (CA-LEND) or Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) programs, and OUD/SUD Grand Rounds lectures. Fellows will apply the didactic training through experiential placements, providing trauma-informed OUD/SUD prevention and treatment services at integrated care community clinics and specialty medical clinics.
Goal II aims to enhance doctoral psychologists ability to use tele-behavioral health technology to provide trauma-informed interventions (including but not limited to quality behavioral health and substance use services) in high need and high demand areas to increase access and reduce barriers to care. Through partnership with the CHLA Innovations Studio, a tele-behavioral health platform will be developed and all psychology fellows and supervisors will complete training on the use of tele-behavioral health for intervention. Psychology fellows will have access to implement tele-behavioral health intervention for all community and CHLA sites identified in this project.
Goal III focuses on sustainability efforts by enhancing the ability of clinical faculty, field supervisors, and interdisciplinary staff to provide integrated trauma-informed OUD/SUD prevention and treatment and supervision and to develop and implement a sustainability plan. Supervisors and faculty will complete OUD/SUD orientation in Year 1 and develop expertise and lead aspects of the training in Years 2 and 3. Supervisors will identify a tele-behavioral health champion to ensure sustainability of gains made through the grant. The majority of CHLAs fellow graduates serve in childrens hospitals, academic medical centers, CMHCs, and underserved communities. This proposal has the potential to significantly impact the practice competencies of psychologists and trainees from multiple disciplines, improve the provision of pediatric OUD/SUD services, reduce barriers to care, and ultimately improve the quality of health in underserved communities.
