Hurdle Health: Culturally Intentional Teletherapy to Address SUD and Co-Occurring Symptoms Amongst Black Men.

Abstract (30 lines) Black men experience a disproportionate amount of stress from high exposure to social, environmental, and economic determinants of health. As a result, Black men face tremendous stress on a daily basis. In response, some Black men turn to substance use to cope with the psychological pain and emotional distress of chronic unemployment, financial insecurity, and racial discrimination. The purpose of this Phase I study is to test the feasibility of a teletherapy approach to treating SUD in 20 Black/African American men over a three-month period. Treatment is delivered using a cloud-based mobile health platform available via web desktop and “smart” mobile phones. The study emphasizes culturally informed appropriate content designed to address the particular needs of Black men with SUD. The treatment approach is guided by the Continuum of Broaching Behavior, a clinical framework that enhances therapists’ ability to engage race, ethnicity, culture, and gender as integral parts of the treatment process. The aims are to: (1) Train and assess therapists in the use of the Continuum of Broaching Behavior Model with Black men; (2) Adapt the Continuum of Broaching Behavior Model for use in an online platform for Black men with SUD; (3) Implement a within-subjects, repeated-measures design to assess the impact of the Continuum of Broaching Behavior Model on change in SUD and related symptoms of depression and anxiety in 20 Black men over three months. This Phase I feasibility study positions Hurdle for a subsequent Phase II between-subjects clinical trial. Together, Phases I and II of this research program will deliver a digitally-mediated treatment approach that employs culturally informed teletherapy to promote positive coping strategies, increase client satisfaction, and reduce premature termination in Black men with SUD.