Overview

The Program for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) is a public-academic collaboration between Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services and Yale University’s Department of Psychiatry. The STEP Program, housed within the Connecticut Mental Health Center acts as the organizing and expert hub (STEP-Hub) within the STEP Learning Collaborative, while also hosting a clinical site (STEP Clinic), which models best practice care for the rest of the partner sites, and continues to conduct research to develop or improve interventions.

Vision: To transform the capabilities of emerging adults experiencing psychotic disorders.

Related to this, we will initiate and collaborate in research that will translate to improved treatments. We will educate the healthcare workforce and all relevant stakeholders. We will advocate for policies at the state, national and international levels to advance this vision.

Mission: The STEP Program will work towards this vision along the following broad domains of activity:

• Modeling and disseminating best practice clinical care: STEP’s pioneering clinical service, the STEP Clinic, delivers and refines best practice approaches to early detection and first-episode psychosis treatment, pilots empirically-based interventions and delivers this within a Population Health framework.
• Translational Research: STEP is active in a range of research across the translational continuum from studies relevant to the etiology and pathophysiology of psychotic illnesses to efforts to improve the clinical treatment, and design of systems of care for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The overall goal in this domain is addressing gaps in knowledge or 'learning what to do.'
• Workforce Development and Community Education: STEP is active in creating an engaged and educated workforce and public across Connecticut through various offerings – including structured curricula, educational webinars and workshops, the STEP Consultation Service, and other educational resources
• Policy: STEP engages with various stakeholders and lawmakers at the State and Federal level, advocacy and consumer organizations and agencies charged with funding or administering mental health services (across the public and private sectors) to advance its vision.