Implementing a Community Outreach and Training Model: Facilitating Factors, Barriers and Lessons Learned

This presentation will discuss the early successes and challenges of implementing community outreach and training efforts for the Early Detection and Intervention for the Prevention of Psychosis Program (EDIPPP), an initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As part of this national replication study, several community mental health programs representing different sectors of the country were selected to participate. This presentation will focus on the community outreach and training experiences of one site. The session will identify factors that have facilitated the implementation of the outreach model within the community as well as the impeding factors that made implementation difficult. The presentation will also explore the challenges of tailoring the model to better address specific needs of a participating community. In particular, presenters will focus on the challenges they have experienced in reaching specific audiences including, 1) clinicians, 2) students, and 3) members of diverse cultural groups. Lessons learned and promising strategies for overcoming these barriers will be addressed.