Rutgers School of Health Professions has been awarded a prestigious federal grant of $4.2 million to train the mental health workforce in the delivery of effective, evidence-based mental health interventions.

The grant was awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services to just 10 organizations in the nation – including Rutgers SHP’s Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling – to develop regional Mental Health Technology Transfer Centers.

One of the goals of the grant is to expedite the transfer of evidence-based research in mental health treatment into practice.

The center will inform the mental health workforce of the latest research findings and create alliances among organizations that provide mental health treatment and recovery support services.

Through the grant, the center will be able to strengthen the capacity of organizations and treatment providers to deliver evidence-based practices to individuals in the full continuum of services spanning mental illness prevention, treatment, and recovery support.

Kenneth Gill, Ph.D – Rutgers School of Health Professions.

Kenneth Gill, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions, is the Principal Investigator, and Ann Murphy, Ph.D., CPRP, Program Director of the Ph.D. in Psychiatric Rehabilitation, is the Project Director.

“The primary need that this grant is addressing is the lack of high quality, accessible training available to mental health care providers, particularly in areas of evidence-based practices,” said Dr. Murphy. “We will support the Center for Mental Health Services’ national efforts to ensure that high-quality, effective mental health treatment and recovery support services are available for all individuals with mental health conditions.”

Ann Murphy, Ph.D – Rutgers School of Health Professions.

“In this role we will work with providers, state administrators, community organizations, service participants, and families to determine workforce development needs and to provide training, technical assistance, resource dissemination, and other activities to meet these identified needs. The center will also provide training to teachers, administrators, and school staff on topics related to school mental health initiatives.”

Rutgers SHP’s service area includes portions of the Northeastern U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where there is a critical need for workforce development as the mental needs of island residents have risen substantially since Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit in 2017.

The center will be tasked with:

1. Providing training through in-person trainings, online educational courses, and monthly webinars.
2. Providing technical assistance to support the implementation of evidence-based practices.
3. Developing local expertise using a train-the-trainer initiative.
4. Developing virtual communities of practice for each state/territory in the region.
5. Creating English and Spanish language online repository of information, materials, and resources on evidence-based practices for individuals with mental health conditions.