The Fast and the Furious: The Rapid Implementation of Tele-mental Health Practices Within a Children’s Advocacy Center

We work at a large, urban children’s advocacy center (CAC) that provides treatment and services to approximately 2000 children and families each year who have experienced child abuse and other forms of trauma. While the complexity and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both physical and mental health are only beginning to be understood, families with histories of abuse and other traumatic experiences are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of isolation due to the extended lockdown. When the COVID-19 pandemic was identified as a public health crisis, the team of providers at the CAC pivoted to meet the newly emerging needs of the children and families served. Tele-mental health practices (TMH) were immediately implemented that required a deep understanding of the imminent safety concerns related to conducting TMH when the client may not feel safe at home. Further, while most of the clients referred for services have experienced child abuse and/or other types of trauma, COVID-19 is its own potentially traumatic event that can further exacerbate an individual’s lack of safety and vulnerability to trauma. The current paper provides an overview of the rapid implementation of TMH practices within a large, urban CAC setting. We share the specific tele-mental health practices and implementation strategies that were put into place because of COVID-19 and how they align with the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, as well as recommendations for how agency leadership can better facilitate the implementation of innovative practices in similar settings.