Wright State psychologist Jeremiah Schumm to train clinicians in couple therapy for substance use disorder

Jeremiah Schumm is a clinical professor and director of clinical training in Wright State’s School of Professional Psychology.

Wright State University clinical psychologist Jeremiah Schumm, Ph.D., will train dozens of local clinicians in an innovative behavioral couple therapy to help people with substance use disorders.

Behavioral couple therapy for substance use disorders (BCT-SUD) teaches couples skills to reduce problematic substance use while improving their relationship, said Schumm, a clinical professor and director of clinical training in the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State.

“BCT-SUD is an empirically supported intervention that is shown to improve outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders and help their relationships with their partners,” he said.

The treatment leverages the strength of clients’ relationships by providing a structured way of including their loved ones in the treatment, he said.

“A big predictor of recovery is whether individuals can build and maintain relationships that are positive and supportive of recovery,” Schumm said. “What better place to start than the relationships with the people that they are closest to? This also has major benefits to loved ones because it teaches them how to be supportive of recovery and provides the added benefit of learning skills that can help to improve their relationships with the person in recovery.”

Schumm’s project, “Disseminating Evidence-Based Family Treatment for Substance Use Disorders,” is supported by a two-year $54,212 grant from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, which was created from Ohio’s share of opioid settlement money.

He will train clinicians at TCN Behavioral Health Services, a nonprofit organization that offers behavioral health and prevention services to youth and adults.

Despite the effectiveness of the BCT-SUD, few providers are trained in this model of treatment, so Schumm’s goal is to train at least 50 providers over the next two years. If the pilot program is successful, he hopes to continue the program and train more clinicians.

“This could potentially impact thousands of clients who have concerned significant others and are in need of substance use disorder treatment,” he said.

Schumm, who was trained in BCT-SUD as an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, has spent 20 years of his career researching, delivering and training clinicians in this treatment.

Before joining Wright State, Schumm disseminated the therapy to clinicians in the VA health care system as a master trainer and the associate director of the Trauma Recovery Center at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.

He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology and master’s degree in clinical and health psychology from Kent State University and his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wright State.

He also served as associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati and interned at the Boston Consortium for Clinical Psychology, where he completed rotations at the National Center for PTSD, Substance Abuse Treatment Services and the Causeway Street Outpatient Clinic.

Schumm is also a master trainer for cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. He developed the first integrated couple-based treatment for individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders and PTSD.

Schumm’s project was part of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s first grant cycle. It was chosen after a robust review process, including evaluation by the local OneOhio Regional Board, the OneOhio Expert Panel and the foundation’s Board of Directors.