MIRECC/CoE
VISN 5 MIRECC - Clinical and Operational Consultation
VISN 5 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC)
Clinical Core
At the VISN 5 MIRECC, our mission is to put recovery into practice. We work on both national and local levels to support this mission.
For example, at the national level, we are a major hub site for the VA National Social Skills Training (SST) program. SST is a recovery-oriented, evidence-based practice for individuals with serious mental illness, and we have trained hundreds of VA providers all over the country in this important intervention.
In addition, we now have the capacity to provide one-time clinical seminars remotely to VA clinical teams across the country. Click HERE for more information and a list of seminars we offer.
At the local level, our Clinical Core partners with clinical programs and staff at the VAMHCS and in VISN 5 to support recovery-oriented and evidence-based clinical services for Veterans with mental illness. We are committed to fostering collaborative and mutually-beneficial relationships among researchers, clinicians, Veterans, and others who share this important mission.
Are you a VISN 5 clinician, staff, or administrator interested in partnering with our Clinical Core? See below for some examples of what we can do together – then contact us to get started!
- Clinical Consultation: Have you identified an unmet clinical need or challenge in your program? MIRECC investigators can provide education, consultation, and support to VISN 5 staff who want to improve the care and services they offer to Veterans.
- EXAMPLE: We provide consultation on the management of complex psychopharmacology cases through our ongoing Monthly Psychopharmacology Case Conference
- EXAMPLE: The VISN 5 MIRECC Small Grants Program for Recovery can catalyze, through one-year grants up to $5000, VISN 5 clinical innovations and educational projects that foster recovery.
- Training and Consultation in Evidence-Based, Recovery-Oriented Interventions: The MIRECC Clinical Core also provides training and ongoing consultation to VISN 5 staff in a variety of evidence-based and recovery-oriented treatments.
- EXAMPLE: We recently offered a workshop for VAMHCS clinicians on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia.
- EXAMPLE: In spring 2017, we will offer another workshop for VAMHCS clinicians, entitled Mindfulness Strategies for Use in Mental Health Practice: more information!
- Clinical Demonstration Projects and Field Trials of Innovative Clinical Services: The Clinical Core partners with VISN 5 clinical programs to pilot test innovative clinical tools and services.
- EXAMPLE: We partnered with the inpatient unit at the Baltimore VA Medical Center (6A) to pilot the Shared Decision Making for Family Involvement in Treatment (SDM-FIT) Protocol.
- Direct Clinical Service and Supervision: Within VISN 5, MIRECC investigators also provide and/or supervise direct clinical services to Veterans with mental illness.
- EXAMPLE: Ready, Set, Grow is an ongoing motivational interviewing group for Veterans with mental illness, which is conducted/supervised by one of our MIRECC investigators.
- Needs Assessment/Program Evaluation: The Clinical Core can assist VISN 5 programs in identifying service gaps or needs, generating ideas for new clinical and educational programs, and developing tools and plans for evaluating program outcomes.
- EXAMPLE: We recently completed a VAMHCS-wide Women’s Mental Health Needs Assessment to identify service gaps and ways to improve services for women Veterans.
- Operational Consultation: Using administrative data, we can help you better understand big-picture clinical needs at both local and VISN-wide levels (within VISN 5).
- EXAMPLE: At the request of administrative leadership, we developed the FY15 Click here for more information on VA administrative data analysis.
Contact Us
Amy Drapalski, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Clinical Core
Amy.drapalski@va.gov
Anjana Muralidharan, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, Clinical Core
Anjana.muralidharan2@va.gov
