Background:Despite an increase in psychiatry trainees’ interest in global mental health (GMH), there is a lack of relevant training competencies developed using educational frameworks that incorporate viewpoints from high- and low-income countries.Objective:The aim of this study was to determine competencies for a two-year post-graduate GMH fellowship for psychiatrists utilizing Kern’s six-step process as a theoretical framework for curriculum development.Methods:We conducted a targeted needs assessment via key informant interviews with a purposive sample of stakeholders (n = 19), including psychiatry trainees, generalist clinicians, medical directors, psychiatrists, researchers, and GMH educators from high- and low-resource settings in the United States and abroad. We analyzed data using a template method of thematic analysis.Findings:We tabulated learning objectives across 20 domains. Broadly, clinical objectives focused on providing supervision for short-term, evidence-based psychotherapies and on identifying red flags and avoiding harmful medication use among vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly. Non-clinical objectives focused on social determinants of health, education, and clinical supervision as part of capacity-building for non-specialists, engagement in a systems-wide project to improve care, and ethical and equitable partnerships that involve reciprocal and bidirectional education. Several competencies were also relevant for global health work in general.Conclusions:A theory-informed framework for curriculum development and a diverse set of key informants can provide educational objectives that meet the priorities of the trainees and the clinical sites in both low- and high-income settings. Limitations of this study include a small sample size and a focus on clinical needs of specific sites, both of which may affect generalizability. Given the focus on training specialists (psychiatrists), the low-resource sites highlighted the importance of educating and supervising their permanent, generalist clinicians, rather than providing direct, independent patient care.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the current state of law enforcement training related to the high number of interactions with persons with mental illness, and to recommend next steps in preparing law enforcement to effectively meet this challenge. Design/methodology/approach The authors reviewed the current literature on relevant law enforcement training programs, focusing primarily on crisis intervention team (CIT) training, and used the case example of California to identify opportunities to improve and enhance law enforcement preparedness for the challenge of responding to persons with mental illness. Findings Broad-based community partnerships working together to develop programs that meet the local needs of both those with mental illness and law enforcement, the availability of mental health treatment centers with no-refusal policies, and a coordinating person or agency to effectively liaise among stakeholders are critical enhancements to CIT training. Originality/value As increasing attention is paid to adverse interactions between police and vulnerable populations, this paper identifies policies that would build on existing training programs to improve police responses to persons with mental illness.
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