CNY BHCC Expands Access to Evidence-Based Treatment in CNY to Prevent Suicide & Improve Health Outcomes

Central New York Behavioral Health Care Collaborative (CNY BHCC)/Omnes IPA is expanding access to evidence-based treatment throughout CNY by sponsoring two trainings in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT is effective in reducing suicidal behaviors and treating those with borderline personality disorders, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health conditions. By sponsoring the training for 10 organizations with 81 participating clinical and direct care staff, CNY BHCC can ensure DBT is widely available to those in need and that the evidence-based treatment is accessible well into the future.

Developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD, ABPP, DBT is designed to help individuals learn effective skills for regulating emotion. The skills of DBT include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. A need to increase the availability of this treatment to help those in the community was identified by CNY BHCC providers as part of developing a clinically integrated network.

CNY BHCC/Omnes IPA is sponsoring DBT Skills Training and Intensive Training through Behavioral Tech, which was founded by Dr. Linehan. DBT Skills Training teaches providers how to integrate the four skills modules into the lives of their clients. The Intensive Training consists of 60 hours of clinical training on DBT for clinicians and runs over the course of a year to ensure that organizations are effectively implementing the treatment program.

“Training at this magnitude is an incredible opportunity for our region,” said Katie Weldon, Executive Director of Omnes IPA. “By creating a network of professionals able to offer Dialectical Behavior Therapy we are creating opportunities for individuals to address high risk behaviors while also enhancing the skills and resources within our workforce. This practice will allow our region to ensure the highest quality care by simultaneously focusing on DBT implementation as both individual organizations and as a network.”

“Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center has provided DBT therapy and skills groups to adolescents and young adults for the past four years,” said Ray Bizzari, Director of Community Services at Cayuga County. “We have found it to be a highly effective and generalizable model. This training will allow help us to intensively train several more staff members and increase our capacity to provide DBT in the community.”

Area organizations participating in the training include: ARISE Family and Children Services, AccessCNY, Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County, Circare, Crouse Health, Farnham Family Services, Helio Health, Hutchings Psychiatric Center, and Liberty Resources. These organizations will provide DBT in Cayuga, Onondaga, Oswego, and Oneida counties.

Omnes IPA is the newly formed legal entity of CNY BHCC. Omnes IPA is a network of behavioral and physical health providers committed to better health through improving outcomes, ensuring quality and increasing access to care. The network meets these goals through collaborating to share best practices and resources, developing innovative systems, and coordinating care.

For more information contact Katie Weldon at kweldon@omnesipa.health or 315-560-6672. To learn more about the CNY BHCC please visit our website omnesipa.health. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.