MS Mental Health Mentorship Training Sites 2023

CALL FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST
MS Mental Health Mentorship Training Sites 2023

Guidelines

The training sites will provide health professionals with a special interest or specialty in MS with new information about the unique challenges to persons living with MS, screening strategies for recognizing the presence of mental health issues, and best practices for mental health care to maximize outcomes.  Eligibility is limited to nursing professionals with a mental health interest or background, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists new to MS work who have not previously been awarded and completed an MS Mental Health Mentorship. Trainee applicants will be required to hold appropriate licensure, certification and/or registration in the state/province of their current employment or be currently enrolled in an accredited mental health graduate program and be prepared to spend 5-7 days (including travel) for the program. Each trainee participant will be provided with scholarship funds for travel and lodging expenses.

Each selected site is required to have a mental health professional provide oversight for the overall training/curriculum, that is approved by the MS Center director. This mentorship program will pair the mental health experts with professionals who are contemplating a focus on MS mental health care or are 1-3 years into their specialty careers. Mentors will share their knowledge and experience with their MS Mental Health Mini-Mentorship trainees over the five-day mentorship experience.

Funding for three MS Mental Health Mentorship training sites is available, with training sessions expected to take place between June 1 and Dec 31, 2023. An allocation of $7500 will be available to each site; the site receiving $5,000 and the mental health Program Director receiving $2,500.

The exact dates are at the discretion of each selected site. A total of up to twelve MS professionals will be selected to participate in specialized MS training with expert multidisciplinary faculty at three CMSC member institutions. Each selected site will provide two 5-day training experiences for a total of four trainees (2 per week).

Training Site Criteria
To be considered as a Training Site the following criteria must be met:

• Must be a member of the CMSC and offer multidisciplinary comprehensive MS care, staffed with a licensed mental health professional in the areas of social work, counseling, psychology, or neuropsychology. For more information about becoming a CMSC member, contact Marguerite Herman, 201-487-1050, X105 or email mherman@mscare.org.  To check if your center is a CMSC member, contact Ryan Francia at 201-487-1050, x103 or email rfrancia@mscare.org.
• A letter of interest is due to the CMSC by March 3, 2023. It must be accompanied with a statement of support from the site’s Director or Department head which should include:

1. 1. What programs/clinics of the comprehensive center will the trainees be exposed to?
   2. List of professionals (with credentials) that the trainees will be able to observe/interact with during their time in your clinic.
   3. A rough outline of the curriculum or proposed schedule you will provide for the trainees. See proposed curriculum outline.*

• Training sites must have administrative capability to schedule sessions, contact participants, and provide information regarding available local lodging and program logistics. Each trainee participant will be responsible for making their own travel and lodging arrangements based on information provided by the site coordinator.
• Approved training sites will receive a site fee of $7500 ($5,000 for the site and $2,500 for the Program Director) to compensate site training costs which may be utilized by your program to provide trainer honoraria and expenses for program administration. Per the Sunshine Act reporting requirements, documentation will be required on portions of your site fee funds supporting food or other fees for HCPs presenting or participating in the program. This includes any HCP (prescribing or not).  A reporting form will be provided at the completion of the sessions. (Trainee participants will complete their own Sunshine Act report form).
• Complete the application form below, attach the documentation requested above and submit via email or fax to:  Nancy Chazen, FCMSC Program Administrator, nancy.chazen@mscare.org or fax to 866-920-6813.

Click here to Download the MH Mentorship Site Form in PDF     Click here to Download the MH Mentorship Site Form in Word

*Sample Curriculum Elements/Outline:

1. Medical Management in MS – neurological and nursing care.
2. Psychological and neuropsychiatric screening, assessment, and interventions in MS (ideally includes lectures on neuropsychiatric syndromes/diagnoses common in MS, cognitive function, neuropsychological screening and assessment, depression screening, psychotherapy and counseling practices in MS may or may not include shadowing mental health professionals). 
3. Wellness services offered or referrals made for health promotion
4. Exposure to MS specific rehabilitation programs.
5. Exposure to active clinical research program if the site has the capacity (discussion and/or participation in ongoing program).

Sites will be notified of their award by early April 2023.

Thank you for your collaboration with the FCMSC and CMSC, and your role in promoting the best and latest care in multiple sclerosis!

Sincerely,

Fred Foley, Ph.D. and Terry Lee-Wilk, Ph.D., Chairs of the Special Interest Group for MHP
Nancy Chazen and Cindy Bobowski, Foundation Staff