Learning by Teaching: Reflections on Developing a Curriculum for School Mental Health Collaboration

Interprofessional Education in Child and Adolescent Mental Health: A Scoping Review

To identify elements of effective interprofessional education (IPE) within child and adolescent mental health (CAMH), we conducted a scoping literature review. A search of four databases revealed 32 studies that met inclusion criteria describing IPE interventions regarding CAMH. Studies included a range of medical, mental health, allied health, educational, and community professionals in clinical, school-based, and community-based settings. The majority of studies have focused on autism or general child mental health. Outcomes were generally positive but skewed toward attitudinal and knowledge-based measures. Practice-based interventions tended to support higher levels of educational outcomes, including behavioral, patient-level, or systems-level changes.

Exploring the impact of a pre-service interprofessional educational intervention for school mental health trainees

With collaborative interprofessional teams integral to school mental health (SMH) service delivery, pre-service educational strategies are needed to promote interprofessional collaboration among SMH trainees. The current study evaluated the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a pre-service, interprofessional SMH educational intervention focused on promoting the cross-disciplinary competencies essential for SMH practice. Eight SMH trainees participated in the study. Using a mixed-method design, quantitative pre/post competency data were collected via trainee self-report. Qualitative data were collected through a focus group and reflection journals. Results indicate that the intervention promoted competency in all areas, with significant growth in the provision of learning supports to youth. Key factors influencing intervention feasibility included time/scheduling, changing school team composition, and project coordination. Trainees' perceptions of the educational intervention were related to buy-in, clinical experience, and role flexibility. Implications for the design of pre-service interprofessional SMH education strategies are discussed.

Developing an evidence-based, multimedia group counseling curriculum toolkit

Training community-based addiction counselors in empirically supported treatments (ESTs) far exceeds the ever-decreasing resources of publicly funded treatment agencies. This feasibility study describes the development and pilot testing of a group counseling toolkit (an approach adapted from the education field) focused on relapse prevention (RP). When counselors (N = 17) used the RP toolkit after 3 hours of training, their content adherence scores on "coping with craving" and "drug refusal skills" showed significant improvement, as indicated by very large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 1.49 and 1.34, respectively). Counselor skillfulness, in the "adequate-to-average" range at baseline, did not change. Although this feasibility study indicates some benefit to counselor EST acquisition, it is important to note that the impact of the curriculum on client outcomes is unknown. Because a majority of addiction treatment is delivered in group format, a multimedia curriculum approach may assist counselors in applying ESTs in the context of actual service delivery.