Ethnicity and continuation in treatment at a black community mental health center

Abstract

Race as a factor in premature termination from treatment was investigated at a community mental health center staffed largely by Black counselors and serving a largely Black clientele. Uncontrolled analysis revealed that race was unrelated to whether clients completed treatment, as opposed to with drawing or dropping out, but was indeed related to the intensity of services (Blacks received more services). Introducing control for social and clinical background factors by way of multivariate analysis eliminated this preliminary difference in service intensity. Instead of race, service consumption and status at termination were related to adjustment and diagnosis. There was no evidence of differential treatment toward other‐than‐Black clients at a Black community mental health center when comparisons were conducted with the greatest possible methodological rigor.

A Community Mental Health Implementation of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

“…Eligibility criteria in the majority of PCIT studies have included a diagnosed disruptive behavior disorder and/or clinical elevations on standardized behavioral measures (e.g., Bagner & Eyberg, 2007; Boggs et al, 2004; Eisenstadt, Eyberg, McNeil, Newcomb, & Funderburk, 1993; Funderburk et al, 1998). In contrast, community treatment settings commonly provide services to individuals who do not necessarily meet diagnostic criteria for major DSM diagnoses but are nevertheless presenting with problems substantial enough to result in clinical referral (Snowden, Storey, & Clancey, 1989). The effectiveness of and barriers to evidence-based treatments such as PCIT within community-based populations become important questions as the field moves increasingly toward dissemination of empirically-derived “best practices” (Weisz, Jensen, & McLeod, 2005).…”

Therapist's Expectations of Psychotherapy Duration for Individuals Living with HIV

“…Instead, the number of therapy sessions might be dictated by agency funding guidelines, second-party payer reimbursement or, more importantly, the client. In community-based agencies, particularly those working with HIV issues, therapists may be working with client populations that have traditionally high dropout rates, such as racial and ethnic populations, those with varying degrees of socioeconomic status, and those with co-morbid presentations such as substance abuse or other illness (Sue, 1977;Berrigan & Garfield, 1981;Snowden, Storey, & Clancy, 1989;Greenspan & Kulish, 1985;Lopez, Lopez, & Fong, 1991;Smith & Yawn, 1994;Difranceisco et al, 1998;Reece, 2003). Therefore, while this study's findings do not represent an absolute, they may be helpful for establishing clinical guidelines for publicly-funded agencies where program effectiveness is often measured through process-oriented deliverables such as number of counseling sessions provided and the extent to which providers are able to retain clients in care.…”