Building a therapeutic relationship between probation officers and probationers with serious mental illnesses.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to engage in a collaborative process with a variety of stakeholders to develop the Brief Intervention to Promote Service Engagement (BIPSE), which aims to enhance the therapeutic relationship between probation officers and probationers with serious mental illnesses (SMI).

Methods: The BIPSE intervention was developed through a multistage "design for implementation" process, including a series of stakeholder meetings, observations of probation supervision sessions, incorporating existing intervention approaches, and workshopping initial BIPSE components with three randomly selected officers from a specialized mental health probation unit. Acceptability and feasibility of BIPSE components were assessed through focus groups with probation officers, additional observations of probation sessions, and qualitative interviews with probationers with SMI.

Integrating a Co-occurring Disorders Intervention in Drug Courts: An Open Pilot Trial.

Little research has focused on systematically integrating clinical treatment within existing drug court procedures. This could be particularly useful for clients with substance use disorders, who comprise those on court dockets and often have co-existing mental health issues. This article reports on the preliminary outcomes of integrating MISSION-Criminal Justice (MISSION-CJ), a co-occurring mental health and substance use wraparound intervention, within two Massachusetts drug courts.

Integrating Permanent Supportive Housing and Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment for Individuals Who Are Homeless.

Objectives: While permanent housing, addictions, and mental health treatment are often critical needs to achieve housing stability and community reintegration, few studies have systematically integrated them into a single comprehensive approach for people experiencing chronic homelessness. This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of systematically integrating permanent supportive housing and an evidence-based co-occurring disorders intervention called Maintaining Independence and Sobriety Through Systems Integration, Outreach, and Networking (MISSION).

Methods: This single-group open pilot enrolled 107 people with co-occurring disorders experiencing chronic homelessness from two Massachusetts inner-city and rural areas.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Justice Outreach Program: Connecting Justice-Involved Veterans with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment.

The Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) program of the U.S. Veterans Health Administration has a primary mission of linking military veterans in jails, courts, or in contact with law enforcement to mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

Preliminary needs assessment of mobile technology use for healthcare among homeless veterans.

Background. Homeless veterans have complex healthcare needs, but experience many barriers to treatment engagement. While information technologies (IT), especially mobile phones, are used to engage patients in care, little is known about homeless veterans' IT use.

A cluster randomized Hybrid Type III trial testing an implementation support strategy to facilitate the use of an evidence-based practice in VA homeless programs.

Background: The Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program is one of the largest initiatives to end Veteran homelessness. However, mental health and substance use disorders continue to reduce client stability and impede program success. HUD-VASH programs do not consistently employ evidence-based practices that address co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

Sex differences in mental health and substance use disorders and treatment entry among justice-involved Veterans in the Veterans Health Administration.

Background: Over half of veterans in the criminal justice system have mental health or substance use disorders. However, there is a critical lack of information about female veterans in the criminal justice system and how diagnosis prevalence and treatment entry differ by sex.

Objectives: To document prevalence of mental health and substance use disorder diagnoses and treatment entry rates among female veterans compared with male veterans in the justice system.

The potential for health-related uses of mobile phones and internet with homeless veterans: results from a multisite survey.

Background: Addressing the health needs of homeless veterans is a priority in the United States, and, although information technologies can potentially improve access to and engagement in care, little is known about this population's use of information technologies or their willingness to use technologies to communicate with healthcare providers and systems.

Materials And Methods: This study fills this gap through a survey of homeless veterans' use of information technologies and their attitudes about using these technologies to assist with accessing needed healthcare services.

Results: Among the 106 homeless veterans surveyed, 89% had a mobile phone (one-third were smartphones), and 76% used the Internet.

A wraparound treatment engagement intervention for homeless veterans with co-occurring disorders.

This article reports the results of a low-intensity wraparound intervention, Maintaining Independence and Sobriety through Systems Integration, Outreach, and Networking (MISSION), to augment Treatment as Usual (TAU) and engage and retain homeless veterans with a co-occurring disorder (COD) in care. Using a quasi-experimental design, 333 homeless veterans were enrolled, 218 who received MISSION along with TAU and 115 who received TAU alone. Group assignment was based on MISSION treatment slot availability at time of enrollment.