(PS7-80) Implementation of a Novel Paraprofessional Training Pipeline: Bridging an Academic Course with a Digital Therapy Coach Training and Supervision Framework

There is an imminent need for free, scalable, evidence-based interventions, which circumvent common barriers to treatment access and increase availability of treatments that work. The RainFrog Digital Therapy Program is a promising solution to these issues. RainFrog, developed by Dr. Zachary Cohen and a team of researchers led by Dr. Michelle Craske through the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Depression Grand Challenge (DGC), is a free, transdiagnostic, modular digital therapy program that uses evidence-based treatment principles (e.g., behavioral activation, exposure, cognitive restructuring) to target common mental disorders. RainFrog is offered in both self-guided and peer coach-supported formats. Trained peer coaches provide 30-minute telehealth sessions which focus on supporting users with skill generalization, reinforcing skill practice, and troubleshooting barriers with module completion or skill practice. The present implementation study describes the adaptation of a peer coach training program, originally developed through UCLA DGC Screening and Treatment for Anxiety and Depression Program (Rosenberg et al., 2022), which supports users of RainFrog, and its launch at the University of Arizona (UofA). The UofA coaching program implementation includes a coach training pipeline, which aims to maximize recruitment and retention of peer coaches beginning in an undergraduate class, “Introduction to Clinical Training.” The class, which is currently being taught for the second consecutive year, provides (N = 40) students with an overview of common mental disorders, basic clinical process skills, and interventions provided through RainFrog. Students from the course are subsequently eligible to enroll in a coach training program. This adapted program combines asynchronous, comprehensive instruction of RainFrog digital therapy modules, which builds upon introductory material covered in the undergraduate course, with in-vivo weekly clinical didactics and skill practice in a group supervision format. Clinical skill development focuses on the following core competencies: authentic engagement, collaborative inquiry, content summaries, emotion reflection, non-verbal communication, and open-ended questions. Outside of group training sessions, coaches record weekly role-plays with peers and receive written, behaviorally anchored feedback from a doctoral-level supervisor. The first cohort of UofA coaches (N = 6) recently completed the training program and reported high acceptability of and satisfaction with the training program. Coaches, who were racially and gender diverse, also reported a strong interest in and commitment to pursuing future graduate training in health service fields. This training pipeline offers a sustainable and scalable method to support the dissemination of a digital intervention and provide professional development to diverse student populations with an interest in clinical training.