ABOUT
Each year, approximately 100,000 young people are diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Research shows that early intervention, such as Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC), improves long-term mental health outcomes and quality of life for these individuals.
As part of the South Southwest MHTTC, The First Episode Psychosis (FEP) focus area provided cost-free training, education, and support for mental health providers serving individuals recently diagnosed with a psychotic disorder (commonly known as “early psychosis”).
We value evidence-based, recovery-oriented training that centers lived experience and cultural responsivity. We strive to create a culture of continuous learning, growth, humility, and transparency in early psychosis services. Our diverse programming includes webinars, conferences, and materials.
We identified training needs through partnership with the Advancing Early Psychosis Intervention Network in Texas (EPINET-TX) and Region 6 partners.
RESOURCES
FEP Conferences:
The FEP Conference aims to improve FEP care by bringing together individuals with lived experience, family members, providers, and researchers to celebrate achievements and explore the future of sustained growth and accountability in FEP care.
Positionality Project:
The Positionality Project at the South Southwest MHTTC was created to provide resources for the mental health workforce in Region 6 to understand positionality and how it shapes their work. For mental health providers, it is the hope that such understanding can translate to improved quality of care by identifying social positions impacting relationships, impacts of systems and culture, and providing culturally-responsive care. For researchers and advocates, positionality can help identify limitations of our work and expand representation and inclusion within it. Positionality statements may allow for improved community partnership and solidarity across social positions, as individuals build understanding of their biases, privileges, and insider or outsider status.
- Positionality Booklet: This brochure includes foundational information for mental health providers, researchers, and advocates to understand positionality. It provides a metaphor to understand positionality, explores how positionality can be used in mental health, provides a hypothetical example of applying positionality, and shares guiding questions for developing a positionality statement, which is one method for reflecting on positionality.
- Positionality Slide Deck: This slide deck is available for download to share education about positionality with your audience. Please feel free to use or remove slides as appropriate for your audience.
Accommodations for Students with Psychosis:
The South Southwest MHTTC hosted the Education, Special Education, and Accommodations for Students with Psychosis: Working with Youth, Families, Teachers, and Schools webinar on March 29, 2023. In this webinar, clinical psychologist Dr. Jason Schiffman provided information and tangible suggestions on how to effectively work with schools, families, and students on behalf of high school students with psychosis.
- Resources for Mental Health Providers on Understanding Accommodations in Schools
- Presentation Link | Slide Deck
- Accommodations for Students with Psychosis
Case Conceptualization Series:
- Case Conceptualization for First Episode Psychosis Series 1: Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-P): The South Southwest MHTTC hosted Dr. Samantha Reznik who presented on Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-P) from October – December 2022. In these three sessions of the series, attendees were introduced to case conceptualization and building a CBT-P case conceptualization for young people in early psychosis programs. The series included both didactic and experiential components.
- Using Team-Based CBT-P Case Conceptualization in Service of Recovery
- Understanding my experiences with CBT-P Worksheet
- Understanding my experiences with CBTp Worksheet Vignette Practice: “Michael”
- Putting CBT-P Case Conceptualization Into Practice
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp) Fact Sheet
- Understanding Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Psychosis (CBT-P) Case Conceptualization
- Case Conceptualization for First Episode Psychosis Series 2: Culturally Informed Therapy for Schizophrenia: The South Southwest MHTTC hosted Dr. Amy Weisman de Mamani who presented on Culturally Informed Therapy for Schizophrenia (CIT-S) from January – March 2023. In these three sessions of the series, attendees were introduced to building a CIT-S case conceptualization for young people in early psychosis programs. The series included both didactic and experiential components.
- The Mediating Effect of Family Cohesion in Reducing Patient Symptoms and Family Distress in a Culturally Informed Family Therapy for Schizophrenia: A Parallel-Process Latent-Growth Model
- The Effect of a Culturally Informed Therapy on Self-Conscious Emotions and Burden in Caregivers of Patients With Schizophrenia: A Randomized Clinical Trial
- A Randomized Clinical Trial to Test the Efficacy of a Family-Focused, Culturally Informed Therapy for Schizophrenia
- Case Examples
- Presentation Slides Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3
- Case Conceptualization for First Episode Psychosis Series 3: Compassion Focused Therapy: The South Southwest MHTTC hosted Dr. Charlie Heriot-Maitland who presented on Compassion Focused Therapy from April – June 2023. In these three sessions of the series, attendees were introduced Compassion Focused Therapy case conceptualization for young people in early psychosis programs. The series included both didactic and experiential components.
- The Engaging with Voices videos series: These videos are intended as inspiration and support for people interested in compassionate approaches to voices.
- Session 1: Introduction to CFT for Psychosis model and psychoeducation
- Session 2: Developing a compassionate understanding / functional analysis
- Session 3: Compassionate relating to voices and parts that hold strong beliefs
Career Development is Everyone’s Business: Successfully Integrating Individual Placement & Support (IPS) Supported Employment & Education Best-Practices for Older Youth & Young Adults in your Community Mental Health Center
This previously recorded webinar aims to provide a foundation for successful implementation of IPS practice principles in your community mental health center in order to better engage and support career development of older youth and young adults diagnosed with serious mental health conditions. The presenters will share both direct practice and program management strategies based on their successful IPS integration efforts in community mental health settings with vulnerable young people, including those with a recent onset of psychosis. Participants will leave the training with increased competency in directly improving young person vocational engagement and career development through implanting key aspects of IPS Supported Employment and Supported Education.
Improve Vocational Outcomes among Adolescent & Young Adults in CSC: Integrate Evidence-based Engagement & Support Strategies
This recorded webinar provides a strong philosophical and practice foundation for integrating developmentally-attuned evidence-based vocational service strategies to promote work and school engagement among young people with serious mental health needs. Dr. Vanessa Vorhies Klodnick, Ph.D., LCSW, Laura Stevens, M.Ed., LPC, and Eshawn Spencer, MS, QIDP, CRC, LPC, share both direct practice and program management strategies based on their successful integration of effective multidisciplinary service models, which include clinical, vocational and peer elements. Participants will leave the training energized and armed with simple strategies that can be integrated into a program, team, and individual practice level to promote vocational engagement and career development.
