Spotlight Research 8 - CANCELED: Development of an Innovative TMH Model to Increase Access to CBT for Psychosis in a Large Mental Health System

Individuals living with psychosis are often underserved in the United States, partly due to the dearth of providers trained in evidence-based practices for this population. One such example is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp), which the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has identified as a standard of care for individuals with psychotic disorders. Given the lack of providers who are trained in this intervention, very few of the individuals who would benefit from CBTp can access it. Telehealth offers a number of benefits, such as the ability to address service inequities, including lack of access to a local provider well-trained in the modality of therapy needed. This talk will describe an innovative program developed explicitly to reduce this disparity: the National Psychosis Telehealth Program within the VHA’s National Expert Consultation and Specialized Services (NEXCSS) program. This telehealth program offers remote expert medication consultation and time-limited individual CBTp for Veterans across the nation. In addition to these specialized services, clinicians from the NEXCSS team provide expert, ongoing care coordination with local treatment teams, supporting Veterans to engage with their communities and pursue their individual life goals. We will share our initiation activities and lessons learned as we developed this program, in hopes of encouraging others to consider similar efforts at their sites.