Exploring service provider perspectives on service user engagement across service components in coordinated specialty...

Engagement in services is a core element to successful outcomes for service users and programs. In coordinated specialty care (CSC) programs, designed for individuals experiencing first-episode psychosis, engagement has only been measured programmatically and not by service component. This qualitative study sought to explore provider perspectives on service user engagement in service components of CSC. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 service providers from five community-based early intervention programs for psychosis in the United States. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data collected. Provider participants described barriers and facilitators that contribute to disengagement or engagement in four service components within early intervention programs: individual psychotherapy, family education and support, medication management, and vocational services. Barriers identified included substance use, stigma, trauma, and external pressures. Identified barriers to engagement in CSC were both unique to individual components and cut across them. By better understanding the complexity of barriers and their intersections within and across CSC components, there can be more effective policy and program development to reduce disengagement and hopefully increase positive outcomes for service users. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).