Led by Sarah Kopelovich, PhD, ABPP, the Central Assessment of Psychosis Service (CAPS) was established to address a critical gap in the early detection and diagnosis of psychosis across Washington state. The onset of psychosis marks a pivotal window for intervention—neurological changes and functional decline occur rapidly in the first year, making early, accurate identification essential. Yet, distinguishing early psychosis from normative experiences or non-psychotic disorders is complex, especially given varied clinical presentations and inconsistent access to specialized care across a geographically diverse state.

To mitigate these challenges, the Washington State Health Care Authority used federal grant funds and partnered with UW to co-develop and pilot CAPS. Following extensive input from the New Journeys First Episode Psychosis Network, five core components of an ideal early detection service emerged: 

1. A statewide professional public health campaign to raise awareness of early psychosis signs;
2. Universal access to a web-based psychosis screener with automated scoring and resource guidance;
3. Centralized, telehealth-based psychodiagnostic assessments for individuals who screen positive;
4. Centralized patient tracking to enhance population-level insights and measurement-based care;
5. A comprehensive statewide referral database to streamline connections for those not eligible for FEP services.

This model resulted in durable infrastructure for early detection, including a telehealth assessment protocol; public education materials; a searchable directory of 12,000+ mental health providers; a screening tool with embedded decision supports; and guidance for allied professionals to facilitate early identification and referral. Within a short, 4-month pilot campaign across Washington, more than 11 million stigma-reduction messages were viewed online or in-person on billboards and posters across our state, resulting in roughly 600 completed psychosis screeners. Of those screeners, 90% indicated an elevated risk for a psychotic disorder, suggesting that the campaign reached the right people at the right time.

CAPS has strengthened Washington’s capacity to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis across our state’s urban and rural communities. As result of this success, Dr. Kopelovich was recently invited to SAMHSA headquarters to share this early detection model. More information can be found in Schizophrenia Research (Kopelovich et al., 2025).