AAMFT Foundation 2020 Request for Proposal
2020 FND RFP: Telehealth and Systemic Family Therapy: Pilot Study Assessing Consumer Experience
Introduction
The American Association of Marriage Counselors was incorporated in 1947 with the purpose to produce research and education in marriage and family systems (modern day AAMFT Research and Education Foundation). The AAMFT Research and Education Foundation (Foundation) is part of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
The Foundation exists to fund systemic and relational research, scholarship, and education in an effort to support and enhance the practice of systemic and relational therapies; advance the health care continuum; and improve client outcomes. The Foundation is committed to:
- Research on best practices, practice management, and the MFT community—to strengthen the practice of marriage and family therapy and support the work of clinicians, educators and researchers.
- Promote education in systemic and relational practices.
- Engage in outreach to increase awareness of the marriage and family therapy practice and profession.
The Foundation operates within the overarching values of AAMFT and will not engage in the following:
- Contribute or participate in funding for programs, projects, or activities that are not aligned with the AAMFT Strategic Goals;
- Accept corporate funding for programs, projects or activities that comes from a corporation engaging in practices that are directly in conflict with or violation of AAMFT’s mission, strategic plan, social policies or ethics; nor
- Accept corporate funding for programs, projects, or activities that are not in the best interest of AAMFT.
Background
In 2017 AAMFT assigned a CEO Workgroup to develop online therapy best practices (Appendix A). These Best Practices have been downloaded over 6,000 times since posting. Further, AAMFT has been informed that various state regulatory boards have consulted with these guidelines in making temporary telehealth provisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As many state legislatures had difficulty convening, staff saw most state COVID-19 responses come from state governors or governmental agencies. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing recommendations forced many MFTs and MFTs in training to move to telehealth in order to continue seeing clients or accumulating required experience hours under supervision. The switch to telehealth revealed many emergent barriers to practice for MFTs, including extensive pre-required courses on telehealth, mandatory face-to-face hours, restrictions on supervision performed through telehealth, and others. MFTs also saw barriers to insurance reimbursement for telehealth, in which many large insurance providers did not reimburse telehealth at the same rate as an in-person visit or reimburse telehealth visits at all.
Numerous challenges were encountered with MFTs providing telehealth services. Some examples include:
- In Alabama where MFTs were required to take 15-hours of telehealth training, with an additional nine hours required for supervisors that wanted to practice tele-supervision. The tele-supervision requirement was especially restrictive, as only two MFTs in the state had taken that additional training. AAMFT staff coordinated advocacy efforts with the Alabama Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (ALAMFT), and submitted letters (see the ALAMFT letter) advocating for the waiving of these requirements. AAMFT staff and the Alabama Network leaders attended an emergency licensing board meeting, where these requirements were waived.
- In Connecticut, AAMFT worked with the Connecticut Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (CTAMFT) leadership, and hired a lobbyist, to address a variety of issues facing MFTs, including continuing education requirements for license renewal, insurance reimbursement for telehealth, and MFT associates’ ability to practice telehealth. Staff worked with the CTAMFT Chair to submit a letter to Governor Lamont outlining these challenges. An executive order was signed that relaxed continuing education requirements for renewal for certain renewal dates. Staff worked with the CTAMFT Chair to submit a letter to Connecticut’s Insurance Commissioner regarding slow reimbursement processing.
In Kansas, the Family TEAM Leader advocated for telehealth and tele-supervision hours to count towards the required experience hours for the Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist requirements. This effort was successful.
Despite these challenges and barriers to implementation, numerous advantages exist with telehealth:
- Access to services;
- Alleviates pressure on mental health shortage areas;
- Rural areas may have increased access; and
- Those who may have a stigma about going to an office can receive services in the privacy of their home.
Scope of Study
The focus of this pilot study is on the consumer, and potential consumer, experience and perceptions about telehealth family therapy services. The AAMFT Research and Education Foundation will provide seed money for a pilot study focused on perceptions and experiences of consumers regarding telehealth services. Such a study should satisfy the following:
- Contribute to society in a healthy and productive manner.
- Include a comprehensive focus on perceptions and experiences toward telehealth so that further research can be generated to enhance positive outcome areas as well as solving identified barriers.
- The study should be mindful that the outcomes/results should help advance research in this area AND assist the practice and profession of systemic family therapy in key advocacy areas such as increasing access to mental health care.
- The study should generate key information that will allow for future funding partnerships including with other foundations or Federal funding agencies so that continued work can occur.
Deliverables
The desired deliverables are specific to consumer perception and experience with telehealth services.
- Provide literature on treatment effects of teletherapy. These effects should include positive and negative perceptions toward telehealth, positive and negative experienced effects, and areas that are clear impediments of teletherapy.
- Suggest research areas that can amplify/accelerate treatment areas that show promise and are viewed favorably by consumers.
- Assess perceptions of consumers on seeing MFTs in-person vs telehealth.
- Provide guidance and information on diagnosis challenges as well as whether consumer sessions were individual, couple or family.
- Provide both quantitative and qualitative research outcomes that support or refute the use of telehealth services with individuals, couples, and families.
- Provide Foundation staff with talking points that can be used for future fundraising efforts related to studies involving telehealth service delivery with individuals, couples and families.
Anticipated Schedule
- December 2020
- March 1, 2021
- Due date for RFP submissions
- April 2021
- Awardee notified
- Orientation with Trustees and AAMFT Research and Education Foundation staff
- July 2021
- Status update submitted to Trustees and AAMFT Research and Education Foundation staff
- November 1, 2021
- Pilot study completed
- Final report submitted
Time and Place of Submission of Proposals
Interested parties should submit their proposal no later than March 1, 2021 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
Elements of Proposal
The following will be requested in the application portion of your submission that will not be considered part of your ten-pages:
- Investigators:Name, degree
- Email, phone, SIM
- Institution
- Position
- Previous history of research with this subject matter
- Study overview (100 words or less): if selected, this may be used for publicity purposes.
- Budget for the study
- Identifying indirect contributions from researcher/organization such as phones, computer, software, office space, etc.
- CVs, or resumes, of key staff and study leaders.
Using the 2020 FND Proposal template, which can be found
here, please make sure to address the following mandatory sections. You may write up to ten pages, double-spaced.
- Title and purpose of study: state the study objectives concisely
- Description of the study
- Goals
- Research methods, research questions, data collection procedures and methods of analysis.
- Specific deliverables accompanying final report
- Timeline and work plan to accomplish objectives
- Expected impact: If possible, quantify the expected impact. What measures will you collect to monitor and report your progress and outcomes?
- Description of previous success with research studies.
- Description of willingness to incorporate ideas and suggestions of oversight team.
Evaluation Criteria
- Alignment between the submitted proposal and Foundation goals and study specific goals.
- Deliverables that maximize the potential to create future partnerships and collaboration with the AAMFT Research and Education Foundation.
- Previous success with research studies.
- Willingness to incorporate ideas and suggestions of oversight team.
- Indirect support from researcher/organization.
Possible Roadblocks
The AAMFT Research and Education Foundation is making $15,000 available to support a pilot study. All studies must demonstrate the possibility of future partnerships and collaboration efforts. There is no room for the Foundation to award more funding if a study cannot be completed within the $15,000 maximum.
Budget
$15,000
Any questions about this pilot study should be submitted to foundation@aamft.org.
End Note
The Foundation operates within the overarching values of AAMFT and will not engage in the following:
- Contribute or participate in funding for programs, projects, or activities that are not aligned with the AAMFT Strategic Goals;
- Accept corporate funding for programs, projects or activities that comes from a corporation engaging in practices that are directly in conflict with or violation of AAMFT’s mission, strategic plan, social policies or ethics; nor
- Accept corporate funding for programs, projects, or activities that are not in the best interest of AAMFT.