Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Measurement-based intervention (MBI) uses information collected session by session by therapists during clinical appointments to track and to immediately adapt ongoing clinical treatments as required. When used in mental health service settings, MBIs have been demonstrated to improve treatment success, patient engagement, satisfaction with services, in addition to reducing presenting symptoms and patient attrition. MBI approaches are often client-centered and trauma-informed, as they account for the immediate needs of patients to provide the most effective intervention in a timely manner. Given the viability of this approach, MBI's are an emerging practice in mental health service delivery among potentially more vulnerable patient settings, however there remains limited research to date extending MBIs to culturally-specific patient groups. The proposed research study, championed by an Indigenous-led health service delivery agency, will examine the viability and feasibility of extending MBIs to a First Nation specific mental health therapy. We aim to complete a series of in-person and virtual community-specific consultation circles exploring culturally-relevant indicators of wellness relevant to mental health treatment, and culturally-safer ways to measure these outcomes in therapeutic contexts. Results of these community gatherings will be used to inform the development of an Indigenous-led pilot study, followed by a randomized-controlled trial to explore the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a culturally-relevant MBI within a First Nation health context.