Thanks to a Bingham Program grant, roughly one hundred Acadia clinical staff recently received training in recognizing the very early warning signs of psychosis, also known as the prodrome, and the latest research on treatment for this population. Dr. Barbara Walsh of the Yale University School of Medicine’s Prevention through Risk Identification Management and Education (PRIME) Clinic was at Acadia August 18th through the 22nd and provided a half a dozen training sessions open to any clinical staff. Dr. Walsh is a clinical psychologist who specializes in early psychosis assessment and treatment, has worked with PRIME for ten years, and has provided training all over the world. She also trained and certified seven Acadia staff from Psychology Services and Consultation Team on the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS). The SIPS, which was developed by PRIME, identifies patients who are at ultra high risk for developing a psychotic disorder within two years and is considered the "gold standard" for assessing the prodrome. Staff can now recognize the warning signs of emerging psychosis in their patients and refer for SIPS assessment by calling in a request to the Access Center for this specific psychology consult. Grant funding allows psychologist Jessica Pollard, PhD to see these patients quickly for assessment, provides funding for ongoing supervision with Dr. Walsh, ongoing patient monitoring, and research on the success of this program. Dr. Walsh was very enthusiastic about her experience at Acadia and visit to Maine. "Staff asked excellent questions, which really lets me know that they were getting it. I’m looking forward to continued work with Acadia, I can’t get over what a fantastic hospital this is!" said Dr. Walsh. For more information, contact Dr. Pollard at x4464 or jpollard@emh.org.