The University of Memphis has received a $297,688 first-year award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to launch the Trauma-Responsive Education for Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Program.
The three-year project, led by principal investigator Frances Ellmo, PhD, assistant professor and coordinator of the Addiction Counseling Program in the College of Education, will prepare graduate students in counseling, nursing and social work to provide trauma-informed, evidence-based care to individuals with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. SAMHSA will fund the project one year at a time, with the initial budget period running from Sept. 30, 2026, through Sept. 29, 2027.
The program will support 50 graduate students per year during its first two years. Eligible participants include counseling students in the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, as well as students in the School of Social Work and the Loewenberg College of Nursing.
Participants will complete six interactive training sessions covering topics such as the relationship between trauma and substance use disorders, evidence-based assessment and treatment, medications for substance use disorders and recovery-oriented care. They will also take a substance use-focused elective course and complete a semester of supervised fieldwork or experiential learning in prevention, treatment or recovery support.
The program is designed to increase students’ knowledge and clinical competence, reduce stigma surrounding substance use disorders and strengthen the behavioral health workforce in the Memphis area. At least 100 graduate students are expected to complete the specialized training and experiential learning opportunities during the project.
“Memphis and its surrounding communities are no strangers to the devastating consequences of co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders,” Ellmo said. “We have an ongoing need for a strong behavioral health workforce equipped to deliver trauma-informed, evidence-based care for this population. My goal for the TREAT program is to provide our students with additional training and focused attention that will help them meet these challenges as they enter the workforce.”
The TREAT program will also prepare students to respond to emerging trends in substance use, including novel psychoactive substances that have received increased attention in the community, such as kratom and nitazenes. By increasing students’ awareness of evolving patterns of substance use, the program aims to help them recognize emerging concerns and apply evidence-based treatment principles when working with substances that may have a more limited research base. The program will also emphasize overdose prevention strategies related to these substances and polysubstance use.
Susan Elswick of the School of Social Work and Marissa Gray of the Loewenberg College of Nursing will serve as co-investigators. Recruitment and enrollment are expected to begin in October and November, with training beginning in January 2027.
