Expanding Access to Specialized Mental Health Services for Youths in Crisis Through a State-Provider-University Partnership

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) pose a clear risk to adolescents' health and well-being. Although established treatments (e.g., dialectical behavior therapy [DBT]) for youths experiencing SITB exist, numerous challenges reduce the feasibility of delivering such treatments in community-based settings. To address the need for increased access to specialized mental health treatments among youths, a state, provider, and university partnership was developed to codesign and implement a DBT-informed clinical training model within the existing community-based mental health provider teams and service structures.