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Telehealth has become an integral part of integrated behavioral health (IBH) service delivery in light of the global pandemic. In order to accommodate the rapid changes in service delivery, integrated behavioral health settings have transformed to provide services via telehealth alongside in-person services. While traditionally believed to be an in-person model, this article demonstrates the potential for using telehealth technology to continue offering training and service delivery in an IBH setting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The purpose of this catalyst report is to describe an IBH service delivery and training model including creative adaptations to the model using telehealth and present an evaluation plan of health service psychology trainee experiences. A mixed-methods design will be used to capture student experiences and competency. Data methods will include interviews with participants (qualitative) and the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (quantitative). Keywords: telehealth, integrated behavioral health, health service psychologist, training, primary care, Behavioral health diagnoses are common in primary care settings with approximately a third of patients meeting criteria for a mental health disorder (Kessler et al., 2005). Thus, behavioral health services [...]

How can psychologists aid in addressing current disparities in accessibility to meet the mental health needs of rural areas? In this paper, we discuss an innovative partnership created between community leaders in a rural county and an APA-accredited doctoral training program and its mental health clinic at a regional Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to provide mental health services. We describe the efforts to build community capacity to develop the partnership and provide sustainable mental health services via teleconferencing to a remote site in a rural county. Also, to present initial evidence of the services' effectiveness in alleviating client distress, as well as meeting the expectations of referral sources and community stakeholders, we used the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), the SF-12v.2, and a qualitative community survey. We examined data from a maximum of 68 clients (M age = 40.5, SD = 14.1; 48 females and 20 males); the number of available client data varied by analysis. We found that clients showed significant decreases in depressive symptoms (M decrease = 5.88, SD = 7.16, p < .001) and significant increases Mental Health Composite Scores (MCS; M increase = 11.39, SD = 7.94, p < .005). Results from the community survey revealed encouraging results as well as areas for improvement. Implications of developing community capacity for sustainable psychological services in rural areas are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has come with widespread changes, adjustments, challenges and fears among healthcare providers of all kinds. Health Service Psychology (HSP) training sites across the nation have had to adjust to telepsychology services, some with prior experiences, and others for the first time. This article examines the perspectives of HSP doctoral trainees from one university across counseling, clinical, and school psychology trainees in terms of the adjustment to telepsychology services. Using an ecological approach, trainees were probed for personal and interpersonal components, attitudes toward telepsychology as well as reflections on clinic preparedness, supervision, and professional competency. The included responses may inform future direction of training sites, training rotations at healthcare settings, and implementation of telepsychology services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]