Josina James, LCSW, clinical social worker at the Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis (STEP) Clinic located at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, has been appointed director of social work for the STEP Learning Collaborative.
The STEP clinic provides coordinated specialty care services for young adults aged 16 – 35 experiencing early psychosis and their families. The STEP Learning Collaborative is a public-academic collaboration between the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families and STEP, which by partnering with agencies across Connecticut aims to deliver a system of care that provides rapid access to high quality treatment for all individuals experiencing recent-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders (first-episode psychosis).
“We are thrilled to have Josina expanding her role to help address the workforce development needs in our state. She brings significant experience treating early psychosis and now clinicians and their clients across Connecticut will be able to benefit from her vast expertise,” said Laura Yoviene Sykes, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the STEP Learning Collaborative.
James came to STEP in 2015 as a social work graduate student and has remained in the world of early psychosis since, joining STEP as a full-time clinician in 2017.
As part of her role within the Learning Collaborative, she will connect with master's level social work programs across the state to provide education about early psychosis to graduate level social work students.
This initiative is designed to educate burgeoning clinicians, who will go on to provide a broad range of clinical services in which they may interface with early psychosis, on recognizing signs and symptoms in clients, best practices in treating and engaging individuals with early psychosis, and information about how to help individuals access care.
Additionally, James will collaborate with colleges and universities in Connecticut to improve pathways to care for students who may be experiencing psychosis.
James is a CBTp certified clinician and helps staff the STEP Consultation Service, where any Connecticut-based provider can receive free expert consultation on their care of young people with early psychosis.
In her new role, James looks forward to combining her love of direct clinical work with stigma-reducing advocacy in service of improving outcomes for young adults with psychosis across the state.