Bridging Gaps in Trauma Care: A Case for Integrated Treatment Using the CHaSCI Care Model

Written By CHaSCI

A recent case study published in Cognitive and Behavioral Practice highlights the potential of combining Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) with the CHaSCI Care Model to enhance treatment engagement for PTSD.

The study focused on a 35-year-old African American woman who had previously struggled with therapy adherence until participating in RUSH University Medical Center’s Healing Hurt People, a specialty mental health program that combines psychotherapy and care management to people impacted by gun violence. Healing Hurt People provides services both in person and virtually (based on participant preference) and offers services at no cost, increasing accessibility to an often challenging-to-reach population.  

In the case study, clinicians integrated CPT with structured care management through the AIMS Model — one of the two models comprising the CHaSCI Care Model — to address both psychological and practical barriers to treatment, resulting in improved participation and outcomes.  You can learn more by reading the full case study.

AIMS: The CHaSCI Care Model in ambulatory settings

The CHaSCI Care Model is a flexible care management approach that provides social care providers with a standardized protocol informed by evidence-based therapeutic techniques and interventions. Using the CHaSCI Care Model, social workers and other providers are given an adaptable roadmap used to navigate complex psychosocial, medical, and functional issues impacting health and well-being for patients with multiple chronic conditions and their families. One primary aim of this model is to address social determinants of health and remove barriers to essential services.

The CHaSCI Care Model comprises two evidence-based models:

• The AIMS Model (Ambulatory Integration of Medical and Social), for use in primary and specialty care

• The Bridge Model of transitional care, for use after hospital discharge

The CHaSCI Care Model has been implemented in an array of settings across the US and Canada, from transitional care to ambulatory and specialty care clinics. Healing Hurt People is just one example of how the CHaSCI Care Model (AIMS) can be implemented in ambulatory care settings to improve patient health and value-based care outcomes.

You can learn more about the CHaSCI Care Model in our two-part series featured on the CHaSCI blog earlier this year:

  • CHaSCI Care Model 101: Background and History describes the 5 steps of the CHaSCI Care Model process and how our team has developed, refined, and disseminated this model over the past 15+ years.

  • CHaSCI Care Model 102: Vignettes and Outcomes includes case studies detailing what the model process looks like in action, and outlines our research and data showing that the CHaSCI Care Model improves patient health, value-based care outcomes and provider satisfaction.

This case study illustrated that 10-Session CPT and care management can be effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD and depression (as shown by the decrease in the patient’s PHQ-9), while also connecting a patient to valuable resources that were consistent with specific progress in therapy.

Image source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1077722924001044?via%3Dihub#f0010

The CHaSCI Care Model & Center for Trauma Recovery 

The Center for Trauma Recovery is a specialty clinic dedicated to supporting people who have been impacted by trauma. The center — within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush — was developed via a partnership between trauma-focused psychotherapists, national leaders in programming to address gun violence, and clinical social workers trained in the CHaSCI Care Model. Interdisciplinary input helped shape programming that has the capacity to address a wide range of emotional experiences post-trauma, provide hospital staff with training on trauma-informed care, as well as address concrete needs for participants that often create barriers to engaging in mental health services.

Services are provided at no cost to participants, with the support of federal and philanthropic funding. Both therapy and wrap-around care management services are also offered in Spanish, filling a service gap within the community. A key element to success has been the close collaboration between care manager and therapist, who focus on the same goals, but via different avenues of care.

Common areas of need for the care management intervention include navigating transportation, resources for food insecurity and housing, and connecting the participant back to essential medical services that may not have been in place. The care manager receives support and supervision from the Department of Social Work and Community Health, which results in benefits such as upholding fidelity to the CHaSCI Care Model, connecting the social work care manager to a network of similar professionals, and accessing implementation and sustainability resources such as data collection. It offers evidence-based treatments that have been proven effective, ensuring patients receive the highest standard of care.

Why it matters: The CHaSCI Care Model improves engagement and outcomes in mental health care

Healing Hurt People’s approach underscores the importance of culturally responsive and holistic strategies in mental health care. It suggests that blending evidence-based therapies with the CHaSCI Care Model can be particularly effective in engaging individuals who have experienced trauma and come from an underrepresented background. For clinicians and mental health professionals, this case serves as a compelling example of how integrated treatment models can improve engagement and outcomes in mental health care. 

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