What staff training is needed to implement Healthy IDEAS?
Agency staff and supervisors need “pre-service” training about depression and how to deliver the core components of the intervention, and then they need “in-service and follow-up training” to address challenges they encounter in the real world of working with older adults with depression. Typically, agencies spend 14-20 hours completing the Healthy IDEAS training curriculum, which is delivered by a trained mental health or behavioral health specialist in an interactive group format, using a training DVD and local client scenarios. Follow-up coaching/training builds confidence in staff, addresses questions or barriers that staff are encountering and prevents “drift” in staff skills.
