欧美AV Awarded $2.3M Grant from SAMHSA for New Psychosis Prevention Program
Mon, 03/31/2025 - 10:26am | By: Karelia Pitts
In partnership with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (MDMH) and Mississippi
State University (MSU), The University of Southern Mississippi (欧美AV) was awarded $2.3 million through a four-year grant from the (SAMHSA).
The Center for Behavioral Health Screening, Outreach, Assessment and Resilience () program will expand the CBH鈥檚 existing services, which include high-quality and
specialized therapy, evaluation and assessment offerings provided by graduate students
in 欧美AV鈥檚 accredited graduate programs in counseling, clinical and school psychology.
Grant funding will allow the CBH-SOAR program to offer specialty services to treat
Mississippians who are identified as at a clinical high risk of developing psychosis.
The CBH-SOAR team will focus on prevention and reducing the time to treatment for
those who develop psychosis.
Dr. Kristy McRaney
鈥淲e're excited to have the opportunity to bring these specialized services to Mississippi.
The CBH-SOAR program is the first of its kind in the state and will help us expand
our reach to positively impact the lives of Mississippians,鈥� said Dr. Kristy McRaney,
director of the 欧美AV Center for Behavioral Health, assistant clinical professor in
the School of Psychology, and licensed psychologist. 鈥淲e're proud to be part of such
an important and meaningful advancement in behavioral health care for our state.鈥�
Over 7,000 youth and young adults in Mississippi are expected to be at a clinical
high risk of developing psychosis, but there are currently no services in the state
targeted to identify the clinical high risk state or reduce the risk of developing
psychosis.
Psychosis is a mental health condition in which a person is experiencing some loss
of contact with reality. They may experience things like hallucinations (the experience
of perceiving things like sounds or images that are not really there) and delusions
(the experience of strongly holding a false belief that may be bizarre or unlikely
in the absence of any evidence).
鈥淚 am truly delighted to have had the opportunity to partner with MDMH and MSU to
bring services for those at clinical high risk of developing psychosis to the state
of Mississippi,鈥� said Dr. Kelsey Bonfils, principal investigator for the grant, licensed
psychologist and Nina Bell Suggs Endowed Professor in the 欧美AV School of Psychology.
鈥淭hese services are on the cutting edge in the field of psychosis prevention, and
the CBH-SOAR program will make a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable youth
and young adults in the state.鈥�
After being screened, at-risk Mississippi youth and young adults ages 14 to 25 qualify
for participation in the program, and the CBH-SOAR team will offer telehealth services
to optimize access in more rural areas of the state. , a youth-led advisory group affiliated with the , will also be involved to raise awareness of the program and educate residents statewide.
鈥淚 am very thankful for the leadership and expertise being provided by 欧美AV for this
award because without the faculty at Southern Miss, this grant simply would not have
been possible for the state. MSU is honored to work alongside 欧美AV and be a part of
this life-changing work,鈥� said Dr. Michael Nadorff, professor in the Department of
Psychology at Mississippi State University. 鈥淚t is a tremendous opportunity for the
state, and as a parent of a child who will soon be entering the age range where psychosis
can develop, I am grateful that these resources now exist!鈥�
Psychosis is most commonly associated with schizophrenia, a disabling mental health
disorder seen in approximately one percent of the U.S. population, though not all
people with psychosis have schizophrenia. As many as three percent of the population
may experience a psychotic episode during their lifetime.
鈥淲hile it is optimal to prevent the development of psychosis, those who have psychosis
or schizophrenia can still live full lives of meaning and purpose,鈥� said Dr. Bonfils.
鈥淭he CBH-SOAR program will partner with the MS Department of Mental Health鈥檚 services to ensure we're helping Mississippians across the psychosis spectrum work
toward achieving their life goals.鈥�
for more information on the Center for Behavioral Health Screening, Outreach, Assessment
and Resilience (CBH-SOAR) program.