Luis E. Bedregal

The Recovery Knowledge Inventory: assessment of mental health staff knowledge and attitudes about recovery.

In order to assess knowledge of and attitudes toward recovery-oriented practices among providers of mental health and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation services throughout the state of Connecticut, an instrument named the Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) was developed and administered. The items that comprise the instrument are based on the emerging literature on recovery in psychiatric and substance use disorders, and assess four different domains of understanding, namely: 1) roles and responsibilities in recovery, 2) non-linearity of the recovery process, 3) the roles of self-definition and peers in recovery, and 4) expectations regarding recovery. This paper describes the instrument and its preliminary psychometric properties, and provides an example of its utility in assessing the training needs of staff who increasingly are being expected to deliver recovery-oriented care.

Engaging Latinos through the integration of cultural values and motivational interviewing principles.

A rapidly growing Latino population challenges the U.S. mental health system. Despite a high service need, significant disparities in access to care have resulted in patterns of low utilization and frequent dropout. Furthermore, natural ambivalence as individuals access a traditionally underutilized

Self-Efficacy and Self-Care: Missing Ingredients in Health and Healthcare among Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses

To help inform the design of a self-management intervention for improving the physical health of adults with serious mental illnesses, we conducted focus groups about their perceived medical care and physical health needs. Adults with serious mental illnesses participated in four semi-structured focus groups conducted at a transitional living facility, a social club, and a Hispanic outpatient mental health clinic. Questions included their recent experiences of seeking medical care, the effect of having a mental illnesses diagnosis, strategies for active self-care, and perceived barriers to better physical health. In addition to various systemic barriers to better medical care, participants articulated limited knowledge and self-efficacy regarding active self-management of their physical health. Despite their interest in learning more about health promotion, most participants expressed a sense of personal futility and powerlessness in improving their health. These data suggest that any effort to improve the wellbeing of these adults will need to address self-efficacy in the hope of improving self-care for their physical health needs.

From “Double Trouble” to “Dual Recovery”: Integrating Models of Recovery in Addiction and Mental Health

ABSTRACT Conceptualizations and approaches to the treatment of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders are currently in transition. With the dawning of the contemporary “recovery movement,” both the mental health and addictions fields are increasingly moving toward acknowledging that people with mental illnesses and addictions are first and foremost people rather than their diagnoses or disorders, subsequently replacing such phrases as “mentally ill chemical abusers” with person-first language. To follow this basic principle in practice rather than merely in rhetoric, we need to accept that it is the people with these experiences who know best what is entailed both in living through and in recovering from these disorders. As one step in this direction, this article reviews two models of recovery, one in mental health and one in addictions, which were developed in collaboration with advocacy communities in each of these fields. These models are then integrated to allow for one model of dual recovery for people with co-occurring disorders as a step in moving practice toward the recovery orientation being called for in both fields by the federal government and by people in recovery themselves.

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Therapeutic Collaboration Scale (TCS).

The development of appropriately normed Spanish-language assessments is a necessity as a result of (1) a growing Latino population in need of behavioral health services and (2) a limited number of linguistically and culturally sensitive instruments that are currently available. As part of a broader assessment on the needs and satisfaction with services received, 103 Latina women completed the Therapeutic Collaboration Scale (TCS). This measure attained a substantial internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha =.94) and good convergent validity with another instrument that also assessed the therapeutic relationship named the Therapeutic Alliance with Clinician (r = .71, p < .05). A principal component analysis evidenced one component underlying the TCS, which further confirmed the unidimensionality of this instrument. This measure achieved a good correlation with an instrument assessing the participants’ satisfaction with services (SWS, r = .44, p < .05). Conclusions and implications of this study are presented in this article.

The Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System: A culturally informed community-academic collaboration.

The Connecticut Latino Behavioral Health System (LBHS) represents a culturally informed community-academic collaboration that includes agencies focused on mental health, addictions, behavioral health within community health centers, and social rehabilitation; the Yale University Department of Psychiatry; and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The core mission of the LBHS is to expand and enhance the provision of recovery-oriented, and culturally and linguistically appropriate, services to the monolingual Spanish-speaking community in parts of South Central Connecticut. This article outlines the rationale and need for such a collaboration to meet the needs of an underrepresented and underserved ethnic minority group. The process by which these entities came together to develop and successfully implement systemic strategies is described in the context of 2 overarching priorities: (a) workforce development, and (b) access to services. The authors also highlight lessons learned that have informed the decision-making process since the inception of the LBHS, and future directions to ensure that it is prepared to meet changing consumer needs and systemic priorities. (PsycINFO Database Record