Training Academy Proposal
PROPOSAL
Training Academy for Rural Behavioral Health: Planning Year
Submitted jointly by:
UAF Department of Psychology
UAF Department of Social Work
UAF Human Services Associates Degree Program (HSV)
UAF Rural Human Services Certificate Program (RHS)
Contact Person:
Catherine Koverola, Ph.D.
Chair, Dept of Psychology, UAF
Phone: 474 2614
Email: c.koverola@uaf.edu
The state of Alaska faces an ever increasing shortage of individuals within the Behavioral
Health Workforce. Further, there is a critical shortage of individuals within the
Behavioral Health Workforce in Alaska that can meet the unique needs that arise in the
delivery of services in a state that is multi-cultural and largely rural. The need for
generalists at all levels of expertise with multi-disciplinary training, with cross cultural
competence, and equipped to meet the complex behavioral health needs within this state
is self evident.
The Behavioral Health Workforce shortage can be attributed to a number of issues
including: (1) to date the existing training programs in behavioral health in Alaska have
produced inadequate numbers of graduates to fill the needs in the workforce; (2) there is
high turn over within the behavioral health work force due to inadequate training and
supports for employees once they are in the workforce; (3) professionals who come from
the lower 48 in particular are often ill equipped to deal with the unique complexity of
providing services in a multi-cultural rural frontier context; and (4) there has historically
been inadequate inter-disciplinary dialogue thus limiting the development of well
functioning multi-disciplinary teams in the field. The literature on rural mental health
service delivery clearly notes the imperative of multi-disciplinary teams when
endeavoring to provide high quality services.
One of the goals identified at the Alyeska Behavioral Health Workforce Summit was:
By 2006, a multi-disciplinary multi-level behavioral health education-training
program will be implemented in Alaska.
We propose the development of a Training Academy, specifically focused on delivering
multi-disciplinary behavioral health education on a continuing basis. The Training
Academy will meet the ongoing training needs of individuals ranging from those with
certificate level credentials to licensed professionals with graduate degrees.
Training Academy Proposal
Background:
At present there are essentially two primary forums for behavioral health education: (1)
certificate or degree based training obtained in a college or university; and (2) continuing
education workshops, seminars and conferences. There is a clear void between these
models of training. Individuals typically complete their certificate or degree programs
and then move into the professional world of practice. Subsequently they obtain all
further education in a somewhat haphazard uncoordinated manner. The continuing
education training is typically driven by what might be offered in a location accessible to
the practitioner. This is quite in contrast to the carefully constructed curriculum of a
certificate or degree program, in which there are clear sequences and knowledge/skill
domains that are acquired systematically. Further, while all licensed professionals are
required to attend continuing education forums to maintain their licensure, there is no
evidence to indicate that participation in these activities is tied to enhanced work
performance or improved services for the consumer. It seems self evident that a more
systematically organized and planned series of continuing education opportunities would
be of substantial benefit to consumers.
The Alyseska Behavioral Health Workforce Summit identified key instructional content
areas that would be of significant benefit to the existing Behavioral Health Workforce in
Alaska. These included cultural competence; mental health training for consumers across
the life span; addictions; dually diagnosed clients (addiction & mental health issues);
FASD; inter-generational trauma; child abuse; domestic violence; and the well being of
providers themselves. This final content area is critical, as it is clearly linked to the
pervasive problem of turn over within this workforce.
Proposal:
We are therefore proposing a Training Academy in Rural Behavioral Health that will
provide a range of curriculum options including the key content areas identified above.
The Training Academy will be designed to meet the continuing training needs of the
behavioral health workforce statewide. The Training Academy will provide instruction
in a forum that would be multi-disciplinary. Further, it will be designed to meet the
instructional needs of individuals at varying skill and training levels. This will ensure that
professionals requiring CEU’s for their professional licensure would be able to meet
these requirements while attending the Academy. The Training Academy will be distinct
from the more traditional types of conferences and workshops in that there is a long range
curriculum planned to meet specific training needs over the long term. Further the
curriculum is designed specifically to meet the needs of practitioners in Alaska.
Situating the Training Academy within the university provides the advantages of utilizing
the most up-to-date pedagogical methods for adult learners. This includes the utilization
of a curricular model of learning rather than the “three-day conference” model in which
attendees tend to be passive observers rather than participants. Finally, the university
setting also brings the participants much closer to cutting edge research on emerging and
best practices in the field. We envision that many of the Training Academy faculty will
Training Academy Proposal
be individuals who are actively involved in research within the behavioral health field
thus ensuring that those who are trained in the academy receive the most current
knowledge on the science that informs practice.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has four departments/programs currently
collaborating to provide training in Behavioral Health. These include:
The Rural Human Service Certificate Program (RHS)
Human Services Program offering the Associates Degree (HSV)
Social Work Department offering the Bachelors Degree in Social Work, and
Psychology offering the Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree.
These four departments at UAF have a long history of collaboration that includes: (1)
developing a clear articulation of course work between certificate, AA, BSW, BA/BS and
MA degree programs; (2) faculty with joint appointments across departments; (3)
funding support shared across programs; (4) emerging interdisciplinary research efforts
across departments. These four programs have an ongoing history of sharing best
practices in teaching, in particular utilizing the cohort model of adult learning, as well as
in navigating the challenges of distance-delivered programs. Key faculty members from
each of these programs have met several times to develop the proposed Training
Academy.
Plan:
We propose a year of planning to adequately prepare for the implementation of the
Training Academy. The planning will be done by the Training Academy Advisory
Council that will be comprised of 8 faculty members from the four respective
departments/programs.
The planning effort will begin with a three-day retreat at Old Minto. This will afford an
opportunity to begin the strategic planning on the Training Academy, in particular the
curriculum. This will be followed by monthly meetings of the Advisory Council. During
the year we will utilize the services of two consultants as follows: (1) Consultant with
expertise in training in rural mental health issues, for example WICHE consultants, (2)
Consultant with experience in developing training academy models of adult learning.
During the summer of 05, several of the Advisory Council members will devote time to
the completion of the Training Academy Curriculum courses and syllabi.
Tangible products and goals of the planning process will include the following:
(1) Curriculum for the Training Academy
(2) Identify training faculty, most from in-state, however we will undoubtedly want
to have some nationally recognized training faculty from Canada and the lower
48
(3) Begin to contact potential training faculty and establish commitment to
participate in the Training Academy
Training Academy Proposal
(4) Develop job descriptions for the Training Academy Director and Administrative
Assistant
(5) Recruitment and hiring of Director and Administrative Assistant
Projected Costs:
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Old Minto Cultural Immersion Camp: 8 participants for 3 days
Consultant fees and travel to Fairbanks for two consultants (one trip each)
1 month of summer salary support for 4 faculty members for curriculum
preparation
Budget for Training Academy Planning Year, 2004-2005
Salary and Benefits:
Training Academy Advisory Council Planning Group
(five faculty, one month salary each)
Travel:
Airfare for two consultants
$25,000
3,000
Service/Contracts:
Old Minto Cultural Heritage Camp
(contract for services for l0 people for 3 days)
20,000
Consultant fees
l0,000
Total
$58,000
Training Academy Proposal
PROPOSAL
Training Academy for Rural Behavioral Health
Submitted jointly by:
UAF Department of Psychology
UAF Department of Social Work
UAF Human Services Associates Program (HSV)
UAF Rural Human Services Certificate Program (RHS)
Contact Person:
Catherine Koverola, Ph.D.
Chair, Dept of Psychology, UAF
Phone: 474 2614
Email: c.koverola@uaf.edu
We are proposing the implementation of a Training Academy in Rural Behavioral Health
to fulfill the Alyeska Behavioral Workforce Summit goal to:
Implement by 2006, a multi-disciplinary multi-level behavioral health educationtraining program in Alaska.
Prior to the implementation of the Training Academy there will have been a year of
planning undertaken by the Training Academy Advisory Council as described in the
Training Academy Planning Proposal for FY 04.
As described in the Planning Proposal the Training Academy will offer a set of
continuing education curriculum designed specifically for behavioral health workers
providing a broad range of services in rural and semi-urban Alaska. The courses will be
offered on an ongoing basis. The curriculum will be suitable for a multi-disciplinary
audience, who come from a range of training levels. The Training Academy will
specifically foster an environment that facilitates the development of well functioning
multi-disciplinary teams in the field. It will emphasize the importance of practitioners at
all levels of training and expertise. Central to the Training Academy is the premise that
the training significantly enhances the cross cultural competence of the participants.
Further, the Training Academy curriculum will also specifically focus on the well being
of the provider as it is our contention that this underlies the high turn over rate within the
field.
We envision that the Training Academy will have a series of curriculum units that
address the content areas identified at the Alyeska Behavioral Workforce Summit as
central. These include but are not limited to the following: mental health issues across
the life span; addictions; dual diagnosis; intergenerational trauma; child abuse; domestic
violence; suicide; FASD; health issues stemming from stress; working in the context of
families and communities; and vicarious trauma as it impacts the provider.
Training Academy Proposal
The Training Academy will be staffed by a full-time Training Director and a full-time
Administrative Assistant. The Training Director’s role will be a liason between the
university, the health corporations/employers, potential participants, the State DHHS, and
licensing boards. The Training Director will have responsibility for: (1) social
marketing; (2) recruiting Training Academy faculty; (3) setting up faculty contracts; (4)
coordinating the delivery of the courses; (5) ensuring materials are prepared for students;
(6) ensuring required documentation for CEU’s for each discipline is completed
appropriately; and (7) facilitating the process for student accommodations while
participating in the Training Academy. The Training Academy Advisory Council will
continue to meet and provide guidance and direction to the Training Director throughout
implementation.
The Training Academy faculty will include a broad range of individuals identified as
experts either within state or nationally. There will be a strong emphasis on recruiting instate faculty as they will be particularly knowledgeable about the issues facing providers
in Alaska. Clearly, there are a number of faculty members within the four collaborating
departments/programs that will also be appropriate faculty for the Training Academy for
specific courses. We will nonetheless also welcome faculty from the lower 48 and
Canada who have specific expertise in highly specialized areas that are germane to our
state (e.g., culturally competent service delivery).
We envision the Training Academy offering a series of continuing education courses
each month for a duration of 3-5 days. The Training Academy will offer a variety of
tracks/content areas and the course offerings will be staggered such that a student might
for example elect to complete one track each year. The courses relevant to each track
would be offered each quarter. An individual who is interested in gaining expertise in
infant mental health could elect to take a series of four continuing education courses, that
each build upon the previous one. This track would be offered in January, March, June,
and October. Alternatively a second individual might be interested in assessment and
treatment of dual diagnosis in a rural context and this track would be offered in February,
April, July and November. Content areas identified as particularly high demand could be
offered more often than quarterly. For example, a track entitled “Delivering Behavioral
Health Services Across the Life Span in Rural Alaska” might be offered more frequently.
However, the overall model for the Training Academy would consist of one week of a
variety of continuing education opportunities each month.
Projected Cost for the Training Academy:
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Training Director Full time
Administrative Assistant Full time
Training Faculty
Travel for Training Faculty
Office Space for Training Academy staff
Space for Instruction
Phones
Supplies: social marketing materials, office supplies, educational materials
Training Academy Proposal
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Equipment: computers, printer photocopier, LCD projectors, computer software
(e.g. PathLore for tracking students progress)
Office furniture
Training Academy Budget, FY05-06
Personnel Total (Salary & Benefits)
Full-time Training Director
Full-time Administrative Assistant
80,000
50,000
Travel Total
Training Academy Faculty travel
57,600
Supplies & Equipment
70,000
Services & Contracts
Office space, instructional space, phone
Training Academy Faculty contracts
Total Costs
31,500
120,000
$409,100
Training Academy Budget, FY06-07
Personnel Total (Salary & Benefits)
Full time Training Director
Full time Administrative Assistant
82,400
51,400
Travel Total
Training Academy Faculty travel
70,000
Supplies & Equipment
15,000
Services & Contracts
Office space, instructional space, phone
Training Academy Faculty contracts
40,000
160,000
Total Costs
$418,000