We conduct research and evaluation, implementation support, workforce development and training, and policy and strategic support.
Research & Evaluation
The Institute conducts independent, sponsored research to advance the mental health field. Researchers at the Institute use a variety of research designs and methods to learn about mental health practices and service systems, with the goal of providing knowledge that is relevant to Texas behavioral health consumers, providers, administrators, and policy makers. The Institute conducts rigorous evaluations of behavioral health programs within the state, emphasizing the use of evaluation data to monitor progress and enhance quality through continuous feedback. Researchers use participatory research practices to partner with community and state stakeholders to ensure research or evaluation findings are meaningful and useful to those participating in the research endeavor.
Implementation Support
The Institute brings the field of implementation science to the planning, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining of behavioral health best practices. Institute staff assist state and local agencies to select practices that meet the agency or community’s unique needs, create an implementation plan that builds on effective practices, and support implementation through on-going coaching, problem solving, and implementation monitoring. Institute staff are skilled at assessing organizational readiness, coaching to selected evidence-based practices, facilitating strategic planning processes, collecting data for plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycles, and developing multi-media communications to support implementation. The Institute conducts multi-site implementations through various shared learning models.
Workforce Development and Training
The Institute provides training and workforce support to advance behavioral health best practices within Texas. Staff have been trained by certified trainers in select best practices and have developed best practice trainings in other key areas. Staff are skilled at the development of interactive training approaches aimed at disseminating information and changing behavior within complex service systems. The Institute provides training in wraparound planning, motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, family-driven planning, safety planning interventions, leadership development, the Cultural and Linguistic Appropriateness of Services (CLAS) standards, and suicide prevention best practices.
Policy and Strategic Support
TIEMH aims to inform state and local governments and agencies on opportunities to strengthen the systems that support individuals with mental health challenges and their families. TIEMH provides support to state and local agencies through the identification of best practices, facilitation of strategic planning, support for the partnership of individuals with lived experience in system change initiatives, developing draft policies or memorandums of understanding, and supporting innovative financing strategies.
