Panel Discussion 3 - Building Capacity Through Community-based Care: adapting and Implementing Problem Management Plus (PM+) for Diverse US Contexts

This panel addresses the urgent need for low-intensity, scalable mental health interventions delivered by non-mental health specialists to reduce persistent gaps in access to care in the US. Despite high prevalence rates of common mental health problems, many communities, especially those who have been historically marginalized, face structural, cultural, and workforce barriers that limit access to services. Problem Management Plus (PM+), a brief, transdiagnostic intervention developed by the World Health Organization, offers a promising strategy to address these gaps through task-sharing and flexible delivery models. Panelists will first present findings from a diverse set of studies examining the adaptation and implementation of PM+ across U.S. contexts. Janus Wong, (University of Southern California) will describe culturally and linguistically tailored adaptations of PM+ for Chinese-speaking communities in the U.S. and research approaches working with marginalized communities from RECOUP-NY, a randomized controlled trial examining PM+ in underresourced settings in NYC. Adam Brown (The New School) will discuss results from RECOUP-NY and BRIDGE-NYC, in which the efficacy of PM+ delivered by non-mental health specialists in a wide range of community-based organizations is being evaluated. Alesha Cid-Vega (University of Miami) will present innovative work integrating PM+ strategies into mass media, including the development of a telenovela video series embedding PM+ skills for Spanish-speaking immigrant communities. Traci Marciniak (Arcamind Institute and the Miller Dwan Foundation) will focus on real-world implementation of PM+ in Midwestern communities, highlighting partnerships and sustainability strategies. Finally, Ken Carswell (World Health Organization) will serve as panel moderator, synthesizing lessons learned and situating these findings within the broader global mental health and task-sharing evidence-base context. Overall, the panel will highlight how PM+ can be flexibly adapted, implemented, and scaled across diverse U.S. settings, offering practical insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to expand access to mental health care through task-sharing delivery models.