Assessing Access to Trauma-Informed Mental Health Services for Adolescents: A Mystery Shopper Study
What is it about?
Less than one in five families (17%) in need of trauma treatment for their adolescent child could schedule an appointment at a community mental health center or Federally Qualified Health Center. Non-White callers were significantly less likely to be offered an appointment. Out of 300 completed contacts, only 38% (n=115) of schedulers reported their health center offered trauma-informed therapy.
Why is it important?
Using an innovative mystery shopper methodology, three women (White, Latina, and Black voice actresses) called community mental health centers (CMHCs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) (N=229) in Cook County, Illinois, posing as mothers requesting to schedule a mental health appointment for their adolescent child who had witnessed a traumatic event. Fewer than one in five contacts with mental health centers resulted in a mental health appointment, regardless of the caller’s insurance type. We identified significant capacity and administrative barriers associated with reduced access to urgently needed youth mental health services. Our results also raise the concern that racial-ethnic discrimination may occur at the time of scheduling. Of note, it is concerning that fewer than half of health centers reported offering trauma-informed therapy and that schedulers could name a specific type of trauma treatment that their center offered in only 15% of completed calls. Our results add to research calling for greater financial investments in mental health resources, particularly in safety-net systems of care.