(PS3-99) Self-reported Training Needs for Anxiety Interventions Among Primary Care Behavioral Health Consultants

Introduction. Integrated primary care (IPC) is a population-based model of healthcare delivery that emphasizes providing care for a large number of individuals with a variety of presenting concerns. For IPC to be successful, behavioral healthcare consultants (BHCs) should have knowledge and skills on a variety of evidence-based mental health interventions. The United States Preventative Services Task Force now recommends universal anxiety screening for adults in primary care, which will likely increase the need for anxiety treatment in primary care. Research shows usual care practices for treating anxiety in IPC are limited, and many evidence-based interventions derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy are underutilized. There is also limited data on which interventions BHCs perceive as training needs. The objective of this study was to identify which anxiety interventions BHCs desired more training in, and to examine if this preference was associated with theoretical orientation. Method. This study was a secondary analysis of a larger online survey of BHCs regarding their training preferences for anxiety treatment. The final sample was BHCs (n = 291, 76% female; age M = 40.2 [11] years, range: 26-72) recruited from email listservs of national professional organizations. Provider disciplines were primarily psychology (59%), then social work (26%), counseling (11%), nursing (1%), and other (2.4%). Providers reported their primary theoretical orientation and the top three interventions they wanted more training in from a list of 17 interventions. Results. BHCs most frequently endorsed training needs for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; 63%), mindfulness (43%), and exposure (31%) interventions. Results were independent of theoretical orientation (cognitive-behavioral, eclectic/integrative, ACT, etc.). Discussion. BHCs practicing in IPC settings reported clear training needs for ACT, mindfulness, and exposure interventions. Results were consistent regardless of BHC theoretical orientation. Compared to other cognitive-behavioral interventions, these interventions are newer (ACT, mindfulness) and/or challenging to deliver in brief sessions (ACT, exposure). Based on these results, further training should be given/adapted to assist BHCs in implementing ACT, mindfulness, and exposure interventions in IPC practice. Comprehensive trainings, those involving multiple components such as self-study and ongoing consultation, can effectively increase provider skill development and can be modified to be accessible to providers in all settings (e.g., lower-resourced settings). Future research should investigate providers’ reasons for using or not using particular interventions. Overall, results have implications for clinical training, intervention design, and future implementation efforts to increase access to cognitive-behavioral treatment.