Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine has received $175,000 in philanthropic gifts to launch a new initiative to train clinicians in evidence-based youth mental health treatments.
The effort is supported by a $100,000 gift from the Annapurna Foundation, along with an additional $75,000 from Collyer Smith, Sam Kottamsu, Larry Gray and the Ann Arbor Rotary Club.
The Michigan Training Collaborative for Youth Mental Health will operate under U-M Health’s Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg and Family Depression Center.
The collaborative aims to close a gap in behavioral healthcare access by giving Michigan clinicians ongoing training, mentorship and consultation rather than one-time workshops. Its first phase will focus on community mental health clinicians in the Lansing region, training them in exposure and response prevention, considered the gold-standard treatment for youth anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Michelle Kees, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at U-M Health, and Emily Laird Bilek, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and child psychology lead for psychiatry, are leading the collaborative.
“We know what works,” Dr. Kees said in a Sept. 11 news release. “The challenge is making sure clinicians have the training and support they need to deliver those treatments. This visionary gift is a gamechanger.”
Over time, the collaborative plans to expand into additional Michigan communities and add training in depression therapies and suicide prevention, building a statewide network aimed at improving access to evidence-based youth mental healthcare.
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