Michael C Freed, Christina P C Borba, Patricia A Areán
{"title":"In a Mechanistic Culture of Why, Focus on How, for Whom, and in What Context Services Interventions Are Effective.","authors":"Michael C Freed, Christina P C Borba, Patricia A Areán","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250432","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250432","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"997-999"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13536289/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148709311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth Ford, Michael T Compton, Katherine Elkington, Stephen Matthews, Luis Lopez, James Holmes, Leah G Pope
{"title":"Emergency Psychiatric Evaluation of People Under Arrest: Recommendations From a Participatory Policymaking Symposium.","authors":"Elizabeth Ford, Michael T Compton, Katherine Elkington, Stephen Matthews, Luis Lopez, James Holmes, Leah G Pope","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250705","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250705","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Columbia University's Justice-Involved Behavioral Health Workgroup held a symposium about emergency psychiatric evaluations of people under arrest, using a participatory policymaking approach. Four principles emerged to guide emergency departments when developing patient-centered policies: psychiatric evaluation of patients under arrest should be based on clinical presentation, not custody status; peer specialists should be employed in psychiatric emergency settings; use of restraints by law enforcement should be limited during emergency psychiatric care; and private space should be allocated for psychiatric evaluations.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"985-987"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148763737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When Care Defers to Custody: A Failure of Clinical Preparedness.","authors":"Davian Torrence","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260289","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260289","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"1018-1019"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mimi Choy-Brown, Nathaniel J Williams, Nallely Vega, Steven C Marcus
{"title":"Characteristics of Clinical Supervision Associated With Improvements in Youth Outcomes in Community Mental Health Clinics.","authors":"Mimi Choy-Brown, Nathaniel J Williams, Nallely Vega, Steven C Marcus","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250706","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250706","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The authors examined the associations of youths' mental health outcomes with exposure of their treating clinicians to psychotherapy skill rehearsal and data-based feedback during clinical supervision.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The authors of this longitudinal observational study used linear mixed models to examine how characteristics of supervision received by 108 clinicians in 19 community mental health clinics related to changes in caregiver-rated mental health of 357 youths within 6 months after treatment initiation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Youths treated by a clinician who had received higher levels of data-based feedback and skill rehearsal during clinical supervision had greater and faster improvements in mental health. The improvement was 1.35 and 1.21 times greater for youths whose clinicians received high versus low levels of data-based feedback and skill rehearsal, respectively. Neither the total amount of supervision time nor the time dedicated to clinical content was associated with a change in the youths' mental health conditions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study offers the first empirical evidence that clinical supervisors' use of therapy skill rehearsal and data-based feedback in community mental health settings may enhance improvement of youths' mental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"925-930"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148371764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Professional Development Needs of Peer Support Workers in Addiction Services: A Qualitative Interview Study.","authors":"Jinny Choi, Samantha Perry, Jennifer Jackson","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250653","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250653","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Professional structures to assist peer support workers (PSWs) are lacking, which could negatively affect PSW retention and job progression. The aim of this study was to assess PSWs' professional development needs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using reflexive thematic analysis, the authors conducted a qualitative interview study in Canada and completed semistructured interviews with 17 PSWs via videoconferencing software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants identified the need for career progression opportunities that did not require changing job titles. In particular, they highlighted the need for continuing education support to reinforce the evidence-based nature of their work. Participants wanted sustainable pay as well as increased recognition and advocacy from their professional unions. Finally, participants highlighted the need for peer leadership structures, wherein senior colleagues could provide mentorship and support to junior PSWs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Addiction health care leaders should create professional structures for PSWs mirroring those of other professional groups. Increasing PSWs' professional development supports will promote employee retention and satisfaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"981-984"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148766022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Annika C Sweetland, Cale Basaraba, Amanda Taffy, Andres Fuenmayor, Valeria Benitez, Kathryn Cole, Ryan Lawrence, Miriam Tepper, Daniel Linhares, Victor Pereira-Sanchez, Melissa Stockton, Jennifer Mootz, Kathryn Lovero, Bernadine Waller, Palmira Fortunato Santos, Andrea Horvath-Marques, Thomas Smith, Milton L Wainberg
{"title":"The Mental Wellness Tool: A Brief Screener for Mental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and Suicide Risk.","authors":"Annika C Sweetland, Cale Basaraba, Amanda Taffy, Andres Fuenmayor, Valeria Benitez, Kathryn Cole, Ryan Lawrence, Miriam Tepper, Daniel Linhares, Victor Pereira-Sanchez, Melissa Stockton, Jennifer Mootz, Kathryn Lovero, Bernadine Waller, Palmira Fortunato Santos, Andrea Horvath-Marques, Thomas Smith, Milton L Wainberg","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20230560","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20230560","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Brief screening and triage tools are essential for reducing mental health disparities and for expanding access to care globally. This article describes the validation of the 13-item Mental Wellness Tool (mwTool-13) against routine psychiatric assessment in an acute care setting.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The mwTool-13 is a brief two-step questionnaire used to screen for the presence of psychiatric conditions and to stratify positive results into four categories: common mental disorders, severe mental disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide risk. The tool was administered to 269 patients receiving care in a psychiatric emergency department (ED); the tool's results were compared with the diagnoses made through routine psychiatric ED assessment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The tool's first step (three items) was highly sensitive in identifying the presence of any mental disorder (sensitivity=0.95). The sensitivity and specificity of the entire tool were, respectively, 0.97 and 0.67 for common mental disorders, 0.65 and 0.71 for severe mental disorders, 0.80 and 0.58 for substance use disorders (alcohol, drugs, or both), and 0.93 and 0.50 for suicide risk.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>With three items, the tool performed well in identifying the presence of any mental disorder. The complete 13-item tool performed well in identifying conditions and classifying them into common or severe mental disorders, substance use disorders, and suicide risk. The mwTool-13 can enhance early identification and triage of mental health needs in diverse settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"919-924"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148889945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Leveraging Emergency Relief Funding for Behavioral Health Workforce Development: Policy Lessons From Nebraska's Experience.","authors":"Jessica Buche, Caitlyn Wayment, Marley Doyle","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260023","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The authors describe Nebraska's implementation of $25.5 million in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds of the American Rescue Plan Act through the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, a state-funded workforce center housed in an academic medical center. Funds were allocated across four workforce priorities: training and education, tele-behavioral health, COVID-19 workforce projects, and financial incentives for clinical supervision. Embedded program evaluation, technical assistance, and an equity-focused application review process enabled rapid administration, accountability, and statewide reach. The findings demonstrate how academic medical centers can translate one-time federal relief funding into coordinated, evidence-informed workforce efforts with long-term policy relevance.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"992-996"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148311325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Defining Digital Peer Support: A Framework to Preserve Core Values in the Rush to Digitize.","authors":"Simon Bradstreet, Karen Machin","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250662","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250662","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Digital peer support has gained momentum as mental health services have increasingly incorporated technology. The term digital peer support remains poorly defined, however, risking appropriation by commercial developers, resulting in a lack of clarity in the research on digital peer support, and posing reputational risks for technology developers and the emerging peer support profession. By drawing on established peer support principles and lived expertise, the authors developed a five-domain framework to clarify what constitutes authentic digital peer support. This framework was built to guide technology developers, researchers, service providers, and peer supporters in ensuring that digital tools remain true to peer support's activist roots and relational foundations.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"1012-1015"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148371786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexander Broekhuijse, Abhishek Saxena, Barbara Walsh, Catalina Mourgues-Codern, Hesham Mukhtar, Samantha Howard, Scott W Woods, Albert R Powers, Emily A Farina
{"title":"Stepped Care for Youths at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis.","authors":"Alexander Broekhuijse, Abhishek Saxena, Barbara Walsh, Catalina Mourgues-Codern, Hesham Mukhtar, Samantha Howard, Scott W Woods, Albert R Powers, Emily A Farina","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250688","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250688","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Despite recommendations that youths at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis receive stepped treatment, few programs have published details of their clinical models or outcomes. This study aimed to describe the preliminary effectiveness of a stepped care model informed by a psychosis risk calculator that was used at a specialized outpatient clinic for youths at CHR.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seventy-one individuals (ages 12-25) at CHR enrolled in Yale's PRIME (Prevention Through Risk Identification, Management & Education) Clinic during the first 4 years of the treatment program. Participants completed clinical assessments at six time points over 2 years of treatment within a care model informed by an empirically grounded psychosis risk calculator. Linear mixed-effects models were fit to examine changes in clinical symptoms over time, and sensitivity analyses evaluated differences in clinical trajectories between those who completed treatment and those who did not.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Individuals engaged in treatment demonstrated significant improvements in positive, negative, general, disorganized, and depressive symptoms. Improvements in positive symptoms emerged by 6 months and continued across most subsequent time points (12, 18, and 24 months). Pattern mixture analyses suggested that clinical trajectories did not significantly differ between treatment completers and noncompleters, although noncompleters' trajectories were more varied.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>A stepped care model informed by individualized risk calculator scores was feasible for delivery in a specialized outpatient setting and was associated with broad symptom improvement for youths at CHR. Additional studies with scores masked from raters are needed to further support the efficacy of these models and isolate the active components of treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"938-946"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148552036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quality Improvement Takes Many Forms.","authors":"Lisa B Dixon, Howard H Goldman","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.26077024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.26077024","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":"77 10","pages":"915-916"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149123893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}