Coordinated Specialty Care for Early Psychosis: Describing the Trajectory from Research to Widespread National Implementation, April 2023

Presented by: Iruma Bello, PhD, Co-Director and Clinical Training Director, OnTrackNY, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Assistant Professor of Psychology (in Psychiatry), Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The Ontrack program in New York is the premier and national model FEP program.

Coordinated Specialty Care for Early Psychosis: Describing the Trajectory from Research to Widespread National Implementation

 Workshop Level: All levels

This workshop is for licensed psychologists who are interested in learning more about an evidence-based, multi-element team-based, approach for delivering early intervention services to young people experiencing psychosis.

 Program Description: This workshop will focus on describing the trajectory of research to national implementation of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) programs in the United States. We will review the research projects and governmental supports that created the environment for the widespread implementation of CSC, discuss the care elements and services offered by CSC teams, and review individual and program outcomes and future directions.

Learning Objectives:  After attending this workshop, it is expected that participants be able to:

• Describe the research evidence-base supporting the idea that early intervention in psychosis can have an important impact on outcomes and attainment of recovery goals.
• Define early psychosis and the population best served by these models of care.
• Explain the key services provided by CSC programs and how the teams work with people.
• Identify key individual and program-level outcomes that indicate benefits of CSC programs.

Academic References:

1. Bello, I., Lee, R., Malinovsky, I., Watkins, L., Nossel, I., Smith, T., Ngo, H., Birnbaum, M., Marino, L., Sederer, L. I., Radigan, M., Gu, G., Essock, S., & Dixon, L. B. (2017). OnTrackNY: The Development of a Coordinated Specialty Care Program for Individuals Experiencing Early Psychosis. Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.), 68(4), 318–320. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201600512
2. Dixon, L. B., Goldman, H. H., Bennett, M. E., Wang, Y., McNamara, K. A., Mendon, S. J., Goldstein, A. B., Choi, C. W., Lee, R. J., Lieberman, J. A., & Essock, S. M. (2015). Implementing Coordinated Specialty Care for Early Psychosis: The RAISE Connection Program. Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.), 66(7), 691–698. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201400281
3. Nossel, I., Wall, M. Scodes, J. Marino, L., Zilkha, S., Bello, I., Malinovsky, I., Lee, R., Radigan, M., Smith, T., Sederer, L., Gu, G., & Dixon, L. (2018). Results of a Coordinated Specialty Care Program for Early Psychosis and Predictors of Outcomes. Psychiatric Services, 69. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201700436.

About the Presenter (brief bio)

Iruma Bello is a clinical psychologist, Co-Director and Clinical Training Director of OnTrackNY and an Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Iruma received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and completed her clinical internship and post-doctoral training at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She has a broad background in public sector clinical psychology with specialized training in evidence-based practices and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Iruma’s career has focused on research and practice aimed at improving outcomes for individuals diagnosed first episode psychosis. As the Clinical Training Director of OnTrackNY, she is responsible for helping to develop effective implementation strategies through the delivery of technical assistance and consultation, to support the dissemination of the OnTrackNY treatment model both in New York and across the United States.

Disclosures (conflicts of interest):  There are no conflicts of interest to disclose. Dr. Bello is receiving a speaker’s honorarium from APP for this presentation.