In a 2015 position statement, the American Psychiatric Association asserted that involuntary commitment, if systematically implemented and resourced, can serve to mobilize appropriate care and, when it includes a range of biological, psychological, and social services, can promote recovery. A recovery-engendering deployment of involuntary commitment necessitates competent delivery of a range of evidence-based biopsychosocial interventions to treat the underlying psychiatric concerns that gave rise to the detention. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most well-researched psychological treatment and is indicated both for serious mental illnesses (SMI) and for a range of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral concerns that often accompany SMI, such as suicidality, sleep disturbance, and impulsivity. This presentation will describe a Washington state-funded effort to prioritize CBT delivery to individuals on a 90- or 180-day civil commitment and to shore up CBT care continuity across levels of care.
Learning objectives:
As a result of participating in this presentation, learners will be able to:
Cite at least one prominent finding related to the efficacy, comparative effectiveness, or implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for serious mental illness.
Articulate the benefits of incorporating CBT for serious mental illness into the standard of involuntary treatment.
Describe the efforts underway in Washington to enhance CBT care continuity across inpatient, outpatient, and specialty care settings.
About the presenter:
Sarah Kopelovich, PhD, ABPP, is a forensically-trained clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. She is an associate professor; a core faculty member at the Center for Mental Health, Policy, and the Law; and holds the first Professorship of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp). Dr. Kopelovich has principal and co-investigator status on federal- and state-funded initiatives to develop, deploy, and evaluate strategies to implement evidence-based mental health practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis, coordinated specialty care, and digital mental health interventions. Dr. Kopelovich is a founding member and current president of the North America CBT for Psychosis Network, the mission of which is to advance the dissemination of high-quality CBTp across North America.
Continuing Education: This talk is included in an eight-session webinar series hosted by the UW Center for Mental Health, Policy, and the Law, Hot Topics in Mental Health and Law: Civil Commitment, for which continuing education is available.
