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Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP) is a statewide initiative that increases access and improves mental, behavioral, and emotional health and development by providing education, consultation, and care navigation to medical providers of infants, children, adolescents, young adults, and pregnant and postpartum people. Rachel Reynolds serves as VMAP's Assistant Director of Operations.
Tell us a little about your agency and your role there.
The Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP) helps primary care providers address the mental health needs of pediatric and perinatal patients by offering education and consultation supports. These services are provided through state and federal funding. As the Assistant Director of Operations for VMAP, I oversee our call line services and our evaluation and impact work. I have been with the program since its inception in 2019.
When and how did your agency become involved with the GRTICN?
I first got involved with GRTICN when I worked with another local mental health resource center. When I transitioned to working with VMAP, we continued our participation with the GRTICN.
How has your agency’s participation in the GRTICN impacted its practices and polices?
Since our principal focus is on supporting primary care providers, we are always looking for ways to bring awareness of trauma-informed practices and resources to the medical space. The trainings, resources, and activities sponsored by the GRTICN, such as Resilience Week, have been utilized by our care navigator and licensed mental health professional (LMHP) teams. We also appreciate the opportunity to connect with other mental health providers who can serve the families in need of community resources.
What are some trauma-informed / resilience-building initiatives or goals your agency is currently working toward?
Our LMHP and care navigator teams recently participated in motivational interviewing training and coaching. We are now developing an internal motivational interviewing (MI) team that will support our staff. We use MI principles to coach families and primary care providers. This helps identify and overcome barriers to care and infuse trauma-informed principles into our approach with patients and their families.
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