Ongoing Projects

Telehealth Outreach Program for Traumatic Stress (TOP-TS)

The Telehealth Outreach Program for Traumatic Stress (TOP-TS) seeks to increase access to evidence-based trauma-focused mental health treatments for children and adolescents through telehealth technology. The program is dedicated to improving access to trauma-focused treatment for traditionally under-served populations, especially rural populations and minoritized populations. At the TOP-TS program at the MUSC we provide evidence-based trauma treatment for children and families exposed to various traumas such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, community violence, and neglect. Our clinicians have been trained in how to adapt evidence-based trauma treatment models to be delivered with fidelity via telehealth. We currently provide Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) via telehealth across the state of South Carolina. The TOP-TS program also provides training and ongoing consultation needed to build the knowledge and skills necessary to deliver TF-CBT and other trauma-focused EBTs via telehealth. We provide this training and consultation across the United States and Puerto Rico. Training and education are funded through a SAMHSA grant (PI: Dr. Regan Stewart; Co-PI: Dr. Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo) and a HRSA Telehealth Center of Excellence Grant (MPI: Dr. Dee Ford and Dr. Katie King)

Puerto Rico Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Project

The MHAT project is a partnership between MUSC, Albizu University and the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus to bring free, evidence-based, trauma and disaster-informed mental health awareness training to mental health and non-mental health professionals (e.g., teachers, parents, community members) in Puerto Rico with a specific focus on disaster preparedness and response. Our team has culturally and linguistically tailored and disaster and trauma-focused training including 1) Psychological First Aid (PFA); 2) Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR); and 3) Crisis Intervention and Response; 4) Trauma 101; and 5) Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) among other topics. Through this we created the Puerto Rico Center for Trauma Training and Researchwhich offers open access training and resources, in Spanish, on various trauma-focused topics. We have ongoing collaborations with the PR Department of Education, PR Department of the Family, local universities, non-profits, and community mental health agencies such as ASSMCA and APS Healthcare. Ongoing projects continue to build on these efforts and incorporate additional trauma-focused mental health awareness training, tele-mental health to reduce barriers in access to care, utilization of technology to create and disseminate an evidence-based mental health service referral system, and expansion of our collaboration networks on the island.

Funded by: SAMHSA Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grant (PI-Dr. Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo; Co-PI: Dr. Regan Stewart)