LGBTQ+ Training for Mental Health Care Improvement

(UMD-PRC Trial)

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Maryland, College Park

Disqualifiers: Under 18, Unlicensed, Less than 10 clients

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 7

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial focuses on improving mental health care for LGBTQ+ individuals by testing training programs for therapists. It aims to determine if these programs can create more welcoming therapy environments and enhance therapists' skills and knowledge when working with sexual and gender minority clients. The trial consists of two parts: one group of therapists will access online resources, while the other will receive both face-to-face training and online resources. Therapists in Maryland who are licensed or in the process of obtaining a license and have at least ten clients aged 16 or older may be suitable for this trial. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to enhance mental health care for the LGBTQ+ community.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

What prior data suggests that this training is safe for improving mental health care competency?

Research has shown that both in-person and online LGBTQ+ training programs are generally safe and well-received by participants. Previous studies demonstrated that these sessions effectively enhance understanding of LGBTQ+ issues without significant negative effects.

Evaluations of in-person LGBTQ+ training indicate that these programs are practical and successful. Participants reported no negative reactions to the content or its delivery.

Online LGBTQ+ training programs have also undergone thorough research. One review found that digital programs improve mental health for LGBTQ+ youth, with no safety concerns. Participants felt safe and benefited from the online resources.

Overall, evidence suggests that joining these training programs poses no known safety risks. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it introduces an innovative approach to enhancing mental health care for the LGBTQ+ community through specialized training. Unlike traditional methods that may not specifically address the unique needs of LGBTQ+ individuals, this trial offers two distinct training options: a comprehensive face-to-face and online LGBTQ+ training package, and an online resources-only option. The face-to-face and online training incorporates organization-level assessments and personalized technical assistance, which aims to create a more inclusive and understanding environment for LGBTQ+ clients. This targeted approach has the potential to improve mental health care quality and accessibility for LGBTQ+ individuals, addressing gaps that existing general mental health training programs might overlook.

What evidence suggests that this trial's training methods could be effective for improving mental health care for LGBT persons?

Research has shown that training on LGBTQ+ cultural understanding, whether in person or online, can enhance mental health care for LGBTQ+ individuals. In this trial, participants in the "Face-to-face and online LGBTQ training+" arm will receive an organization-level LGBTQ climate assessment and technical assistance, along with provider-level face-to-face LGBTQ training and links to publicly available online training. Studies have found that face-to-face training reduces both unconscious and conscious biases among mental health providers, leading to better treatment and greater satisfaction for LGBTQ+ clients. Participants in the "Online resources" arm will receive only links to publicly available online resources. Online training also boosts healthcare providers' confidence and skills in caring for LGBTQ+ patients. Digital programs have successfully improved mental health for LGBTQ+ youth, suggesting wider applicability. Both training methods aim to create more supportive and informed environments for LGBTQ+ clients. ^{2 4 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Bradley Boekeloo

Principal Investigator

University of Maryland

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for therapists in Maryland who are at least 18, speak English, and are licensed or getting licensed to provide mental healthcare. They must work with a participating organization and have a minimum of 10 clients over the age of 16.

Inclusion Criteria

Therapists must be in the process of being licensed or already licensed to provide clinical mental healthcare in Maryland

Therapists must be able to speak and understand English

I am a therapist with at least 10 clients who are 16 or older.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 month

1 visit (in-person)

Baseline Data Collection

Baseline data collection from organization leads, clinicians, and clients using 5 tools

1 month

Multiple visits (in-person and virtual)

Intervention

Clinicians in the intervention group receive a 1-day training and 4 biweekly technical assistance workshops

3 months

5 visits (in-person and virtual)

Follow-up Data Collection

Follow-up data collection and assessment at organization and clinician levels

1 month

Multiple visits (in-person and virtual)

Virtual Simulated Client Skill Assessment

Therapists conduct an initial consultation visit with a standardized LGBT patient actor

1 month

1 visit (virtual)

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Face-to-face and online LGBTQ+ training
• On-line training

Trial Overview The study tests if online and face-to-face LGBTQ+ training improves therapist competency. It measures changes in LGBT-friendly policies, clinician practices, client satisfaction, health literacy, and performance with standardized LGBT patient actors.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: On-line resources Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The Comparison Intervention arm receives only links to publicly available on-line resources.

Group II: Face-to-face and online LGBTQ training+ Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The Study Intervention arm receives the organization-level LGBTQ climate assessment and technical assistance, the provider-level face-to-face LGBTQ training along with links to publicly available on-line training.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Maryland, College Park

Lead Sponsor

Trials

163

Recruited

46,800+

Published Research Related to This Trial

E-health services have been shown to effectively improve health-related outcomes for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, as well as enhance the professional expertise of healthcare providers, based on a systematic review of 27 studies from 8 countries.

Users of e-health services reported that these platforms are helpful and easily integrated into their daily lives, suggesting a positive acceptability and feasibility for improving access to trans health care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Need for Inclusive Consideration of Transgender and Gender Diverse People in E-Health Services: A Systematic Review. Renner, J., Täuber, L., Nieder, TO.[2022]

A pilot randomized controlled trial tested the Sexual and Gender Diversity Learning Community (SGDLC) training, which improved LGBTQ+ climate in mental health organizations and therapist competence, showing significant positive changes in attitudes and practices among therapists.

The intervention group demonstrated greater improvements in therapist self-reported affirmative attitudes, practice self-efficacy, and affirmative practices compared to the control group, indicating that the SGDLC training can enhance the quality of care for LGBTQ+ clients.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

LGBTQ+ cultural-competence training effectiveness: Mental health organization and therapist survey outcome results from a pilot randomized controlled trial. Boekeloo, B., Fish, J., Turpin, R., et al.[2023]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11278726/

LGBTQ+ Cultural-Competence Training Effectiveness Mental health provider training to improve LGBTQ competence and reduce implicit and explicit bias: A randomized controlled trial of online and in-person ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949732925000742

Systematic Review: Exploring the Effectiveness of Health ... This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of LGBTQ+ competency training programs for healthcare professionals and examines their impact on LGBTQ+ ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10794005/

Mental Health Provider Training to Improve LGBTQ ... Trainees, regardless of whether in-person or online, reported significant decreases from baseline to 15-month follow-up in implicit and explicit bias and ...

4. onlinelibrary.wiley.com onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cpp.2893

LGBTQ+ cultural‐competence training effectiveness ... These findings suggest the SGDLC training can affect organizational- and therapist-level changes that may benefit LGBTQ+ clients.

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0883941724001833

Evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of an LGBTQ+ ... The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an LGBTQIA+ cultural humility training program.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9999060/

Assessing the Implementation of an LGBTQ+ Mental ... This study evaluates the implementation of our COVID-19 adapted, completely virtual, organization- and therapist-focused training program.

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10410776/

LGBTQ + cultural competency training for health professionals This systematic review assessed articles evaluating the design and effectiveness of these trainings and examined the magnitude of their effect on cultural ...

8. stacks.cdc.gov stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/127780/cdc_127780_DS1.pdf

What motivates community mental and behavioral health ... This deficit in cultural competence is partly related to the lack of LGBTQ+-focused graduate training and continuing education opportunities for mental and ...