Our Mission
The EQUIPS research lab conducts research around psychosis-spectrum experiences, with an emphasis on psychosocial factors and access to care. Our projects have complementary aims and an overarching goal of improving the lives of individuals experiencing psychosis-spectrum symptoms through research, education, outreach, and care provision.
Our Current Projects
Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis (CHiRP) Program
The CHiRP program at UMBC’s Strive for Wellness Clinic is a hybrid project that integrates research and clinical services to provide consultation, evaluation, medication, and therapy to individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and their families and providers. Through a client-centered and culturally-informed approach, CHiRP aims to: Improve social and role functioning and quality of life among clients; Reduce the severity of psychosis-risk symptoms and other mental health concerns; Prevent or delay progression to formal psychosis; Curb the burden of First Episode of Psychosis (FEP) through stepped care; and Increase community awareness of CHR through community outreach and specialized training.
Maryland Early Intervention Program (Maryland EIP)
The Maryland Early Intervention Program (Maryland EIP) offers specialized expertise in the early identification, evaluation, and comprehensive psychiatric treatment of psychosis-spectrum disorders, including clinical high risk for psychosis. The EQUIPS lab’s component of the Maryland EIP project involves providing annual evaluations to individuals between the ages of 12-25 years old, including a comprehensive diagnostic and psychosis-spectrum assessment and the provision of provide diagnostic feedback and treatment recommendations to clients and families.
Maryland Early Intervention Program (Maryland EIP): Outreach Expansion Collaboration with Morgan State University
This project is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)/Maryland Behavioral Health Administration funded project drawing from COVID emergency relief funds for the Maryland EIP team to partner with Morgan State University, a Historically Black College/University in Maryland, to evaluate current Maryland EIP outreach materials and practices with an eye towards improving cultural sensitivity and fit for use in the urban African-American community. This project also integrates the Maryland EIP education and training in the Morgan State social work training programs.
Maryland Early Intervention Program (Maryland EIP): Crisis Reduction Modules for Youth at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis
The Modular Therapy for Youth at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis model is a dynamic, flexible, yet comprehensive treatment model that allows providers to deliver high-quality, individually tailored services that meet the needs of clients and families in a manner that is recovery-oriented, client-centered, and contextually sensitive. This model is a dynamic process that involves creating manuals that can be used as needed to create bespoke interventions for youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis. One key module in progress is Crisis Reduction, which aims to equip providers with the knowledge and tangible steps they need to de-escalate crises in this population. Drawing on funding from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)/the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration, our team will work with Dr. Jason Schiffman and his team at the University of California Irvine to develop and distribute this crisis reduction module for youth at clinical high-risk for psychosis.
Mental Health Awareness Training – Early Psychosis (MHAT-EP)
This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded project intends to provide outreach to a diverse population of community members interfacing with youth in Maryland to facilitate the provision of psychoeducational training, sharing of resources and referral pathways, and training on crisis de-escalation techniques when working with youth experiencing early or attenuated psychosis. This will be done through outreach, the development of new training materials, providing training, and refining resource connection procedures.
Youth Nominated Support Teams for Suicidal Adolescents at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis
In partnership with the Principal Investigator of the project, Dr. Jason Schiffman, the EQUIPS team will act as collaborators and a recuritment site for this project, which aims to adapt the Youth-Nominated Support Team intervention (YST; King, 2009) for the reduction of suicidal ideation and behaviors to the clinical high risk for psychosis population through the development of a YST-CHR treatment manual. This manual will then be piloted for feasibility in our team’s clinic.