Bradley Hospital and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island partner on effort to expand access to pediatric behavioral healthcare

EAST PROVIDENCE (April 5, 2023) -- The Pediatric Anxiety Research Center (PARC) at Bradley Hospital is partnering with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) on an initiative to provide training and support for up to 25 clinicians in delivering exposure-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for youth with anxiety and OCD.

Despite the strong evidence for exposure-based therapy, clinicians often cite access to adequate training and support as a barrier for doing exposure-based treatment. This initiative aims to increase the support and training for clinicians to deliver exposure-based treatment for youth with anxiety and OCD.

BCBSRI will provide a stipend of $100 per hour to the clinician for all workshops and consultation hours completed. 

Anxiety is one of the first mental health problems to emerge in childhood and, when untreated, contributes to high rates of adult disability. CBT is the “gold standard” treatment for anxiety and has been very effective in over 150 studies. Exposure is the core component of CBT for anxiety, and is essential for treatment success:

• Exposure is included in nearly all CBT packages for anxiety
• Youth improve the most in CBT after exposure is introduced
• More exposures during therapy strongly predicts better clinical outcomes

This program is a three-year commitment supporting initial training, ongoing case consultation, and booster trainings in delivering exposure therapy for anxiety. Participation in all phases of this program is required as outlined below:

• Attend Workshop 1* (Virtual via Zoom): Wednesday June 7, 2023, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
• Attend Workshop 2* (Virtual via Zoom): Tuesday June 13, 2023, 9:00 – 1:00 PM
• Participate in ongoing group case consultation via Zoom: Twice a month for 4 months, Monthly for 4 months, and “drop-in” consultation in Years 2-3 for up to 8 hours
• Attend 3 booster workshops* in Years 2-3
• Commitment to using exposure therapy with clients with anxiety or OCD
• Completion of brief surveys prior to and after trainings as well as consultation meetings

Rhode Island Continuing Education Credits will be provided.

To be eligible, a clinicians must be:

• An Independently licensed behavioral health provider (PhD, PsyD, LICSW, LMFT, LMHC)
• In network, participating credentialed provider with BCBSRI
• Commitment to participate in all training activities and deliver exposure-based treatment
• Have a patient panel that is at least 50% child and/or adolescent clients

To access the application, go to https://redcap.link/enefp4o0.  All applications are due by Friday, April 21^st at 5:00 PM EST. Applicants selected for this training program will be notified by May 5, 2023.