Graduate Psychology Education Program

1. Graduate Psychology Education Program Behavioral Health Psychology Training on the U.S.- Mexico Border

2. Purpose of the GPEP • Offer an integrated approach to health care through collaborative training that will truly socialize trainees to the biopsychosocial model of health • Teach mental health trainees to provide culturally competent care in primary care settings with medically underserved populations • Teach medical residents how to become more familiar with behavioral health issues and the mental health professionals to which they will ultimately refer patients • Benefit the community by improving health services via integrated care

3. Grant Objectives • To increase the number of counseling psychologists (by 600%), social workers (by 300%), and family medicine physicians (by 29%) trained to provide integrated health care to underserved populations in medically underserved areas, particularly along the US-Mexico border. • To train students in culturally appropriate practices. • To enhance trainees’ self-efficacy regarding their assessment, intervention and consultation skills in multidisciplinary primary care settings. • To provide training in bilingual counseling to Counseling Psychology and Master of Social Work trainees. • To assess patients on patient variables related to utilization of health services.

4. Trainees • NMSU Ph.D. Counseling Psychology • N=6 yr.1, N=7 yr.2 • NMSU MSW Students • N=4 yr.1, N=4 yr.2 • MMC Family Medicine Residents • N=16 yr.1, N=4 yr.2

5. Methodology • MPH 563 – Interdisciplinary Seminar in US-Mexico Border Health Issues - Fall Semester. • Course is co-taught by a counseling psychologist, physician, social worker, and health educator.

6. Activities • 6 case studies addressing integrative care, and examined by these students using Problem-Based Learning • Visits were made to 2 interdisciplinary, integrative, border community health centers. • Guest speakers have included: • Betty Duran, MPH - an American Indian healer, spoke on American Indian Health • Hugo Vilchis, MD, MPH - the director of the Border Epidemiology Center, spoke on the Mexican Healthcare System • Tommy Thompson, PhD - a psychologist working at a primary care setting spoke on Neuropsychology. • Stacy Ackerlind, Ph.D. - a CEP alumnus who did her post doc in a Family Medicine Clinic at the Univ of Utah.

7. CEP 670 • Behavioral Health Practicum - Spring Semester • Course is co-taught by two counseling psychologists (one bilingual) and a social worker faculty . • Trainees receive interdisciplinary supervision. • Bilingual students receive bilingual supervision

8. CEP 670 • Trainees are placed in community-based, interdisciplinary, primary care settings where they provide services to medically underserved and vulnerable populations.

9. Training Sites • Family Medicine Center of Southern New Mexico Family Practice Residency at MMC • Las Cruces High School Student Health Centers • Munson Senior Center - City of Las Cruces center • La Clinica de Familia - Community Health Center • Camino de Vida - comprehensive care to persons with HIV/AIDS • Tresco Outreach and Training Services - serves NM infants & toddlers who are at risk for a DD • NMSU Student Health Center – serving DABCC students

10. Direct Service Activities • The 8 mental health trainees had a total of 531 client hours in these settings. • Only 18% of these clients have insurance. 41% self-pay/are uninsured, 14% Medicare, and 27% Medicaid. • 65% of clients are Hispanic, 6% American Indian, and 4% are Biracial.

11. Training Activities • Two hours of group supervision and 1 hour of individual supervision. • Each CP and MSW trainee presents four patient cases that included an examination of relevant biopsychosocial contributors to health status, with special attention paid to cultural factors. • 3 mental health trainees participated in bilingual supervision on their bilingual behavioral healthcare in 2005, and 8 are currently.

12. Speakers • Joseph Casciani, PhD, president of VeriCare, a national provider of behavioral health services spoke on the characteristics and principles of integrated care. • Luis Vargas, PhD, Director of Training for the psychology internship at UNM Health Sciences Center, provided case consultation on culturally competent care. • Luis Vazquez, PhD, CEP Department Head, gave a weekend workshop, “Using an interpreter/ translator: Making the right decisions both ethically and legally”.

13. Health Careers Opportunities Program • Three CP students provided 86 hours of personal and career counseling to 34 HCOP students during their summer program. • 94% of these HCOP students are ethnic minorities and 91% are disadvantaged. • The CP students addressed cultural and social factors in career decision making when discussing the results of career interests and academic achievement issues. • The CP students also provided 6 psychoeducational workshops to the HCOP students on: career development, conflict management, relationships/intimacy, stress management, risk/harm reduction, and health behaviors/increasing resiliency. • The CP students made a point of emphasizing the interrelatedness of physical and mental health.