Implementing Skills for Psychological Recovery at a Psychology Training Clinic During COVID-19()

The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted the routine provision of community mental health services, which is especially concerning given that emerging data suggest a rise in mental health concerns related to the COVID-19 crisis (Xiong et al., 2020). Thus, it seems imperative to provide trauma-informed services that are tailored to clients’ coping with the pandemic and can be effectively delivered via telehealth. The goals of these important services would be to mitigate current distress, help prevent the onset of long-term mental health problems, and facilitate client safety during a public health crisis. The present article provides an overview of adoption and telehealth implementation of the Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) secondary prevention program within a psychology training clinic. Initial clinical outcome data supported the program’s success in reducing mental health symptoms among individuals in psychological distress due to the COVID-19 crisis; however, the results were more striking for adults than for youths. The article concludes with recommendations for broader implementation and future directions for clinicians, supervisors, organizations, and researchers.