(PS9-87) The Role of Culturally Responsive Training Practices in Bolstering Comfort and Confidence Discussing Client Identity for Clinicians Serving Minoritized Youth with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Identifying provider strategies that support culturally responsive delivery of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for racial and ethnic minoritized (REM) youth with OCD is imperative to increasing treatment engagement and addressing disparities in service delivery. However, the mechanisms driving links between training on culturally responsive practices and provider experience with utilizing culturally responsive practices are unclear. This study will examine 1) how training on culturally responsive practices impacts clinicians’ level of confidence in delivering culturally responsive therapy and comfort with discussions of identity, and 2) whether provider-level factors (e.g., self-reflection, prior experiences) affect these outcomes. Participants were 172 clinicians treating REM youth with anxiety and OCD. Clinicians completed a national survey as part of a larger study to understand clinicians’ current culturally responsive practices, their perceptions of a toolkit to improve the cultural responsiveness of treatment for youth with anxiety and OCD, and clinician background/training information. Clinicians reported on their race/ethnicity: 1.1% identified as American Indian/Alaska Native, 4.9% as Asian, 7.6% as Black/African American, 4.9% as Latino/a/e, 2.7% as Middle Eastern or Pacific Islander, 82.7% as White, and 3.8% self-identified/chose not to respond. Clinicians primarily worked in community agency (33.0%), hospital (7.6%), private practice (27.6%), school (2.7%), specialty clinic (17.8%), or other (11.4%) settings. Moderation analyses indicated no significant moderating effects (all ps >.258). However, a linear regression indicated main effects of training regarding culturally responsive practices on clinician comfort (t(3)=3.49, p< .001) and on clinician confidence (t(3)=8.46, p< .001). The model also showed a main effect of prior work with clients reporting experiences of racism on clinician comfort (t(3)=2.22, p=.028) but not on clinician confidence (p=.191, n.s.). No main effects of self-reflection were found on clinician comfort nor identity (all ps >.142). Analyses highlight the importance of explicitly delineated training guidelines regarding culturally responsive practices to bolster clinician comfort and confidence discussing client identity. Findings also emphasize the importance of providing clinicians with hands-on experience navigating discussions about experiences of racism with clients as a critical component of supporting clinician comfort discussing identity.