Category: Dissemination & Implementation Science
Alexandra Werntz, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Massachusetts Boston
Charlottesville, Virginia
Miya Barnett, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of California Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
Margaret Crane, M.A.
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cyanea Poon, M.A.
Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
Allison Goodman, M.S.
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
Samuel McQuillin, Ph.D.
university of south carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Last year, three major institutions – the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Children’s Hospital Association - declared that there is a “national emergency in child and adolescent mental health” (2021) as rates of mental health challenges have increased among youth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, despite the increase in mental health challenges, there is a critical shortage of highly-trained mental health providers and resources for struggling youth (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2019). To address this year’s theme of Emergency & Disaster Preparedness and Response: Using Cognitive and Behavioral Science to Make an Impact, we present four talks that represent diverse ways of addressing the treatment gap that has been highlighted by and exacerbated by the COVID-19 international pandemic. Presenters will focus on innovative approaches to increasing access to evidence-based cognitive and behavioral skills outside of the therapy room. Attention will be paid to understanding how we can increase access to these services specifically among youth who may not otherwise have access, including those from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds.
First, Margaret Crane, MA, will share results of a thematic analysis on the presence of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for youth anxiety in children’s picture books on anxiety. Crane and colleagues coded books to identify the presence of elements of cognitive and behavioral strategies for treating anxiety. Although there have been calls to leverage paraprofessionals to help reduce the treatment gap for youth mental health, key stakeholder attitudes (i.e., caregivers, youth, program personnel) are largely unknown. Cyanea Poon, MA, will present survey results on the attitudes of caregivers of youth in mentoring programs on their comfort with their child receiving mental health support from trained providers and mentors, and will discuss whether differences emerged based on parents’ race or ethnicity. Third, Allison Goodman, MS, will share work that examines the transportability of EBPs into school settings via partnership with City Year Miami, an education non-profit that supports students in low-performing public schools. Results will focus on understanding how to best provide support to providers who are already in the youth’s communities. Finally, Samuel McQuillin, PhD, will share lessons learned from conducting seven randomized controlled trials of school-based mentoring and will provide examples of how EBPs were infused into the programs. McQuillin will discuss how these programs need to be understood within their local contexts and considerations for future implementation plans. Miya Barnett, PhD, will serve as discussant to highlight key themes and future directions from the presentations.
This symposium is intended to not only share current strategies on dissemination and implementation of EBPs in youth’s everyday lives, but also to inspire researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders to consider how they can promote EBPs in novel settings. In particular, we will highlight how creative approaches can meet the needs of youth in communities where systemic inequities create barriers to resources.
Presenter: Margaret E. Crane, M.A. – Temple University
Co-author: Julia Spandorfer, M.A. – Temple University
Co-author: Katherine Phillips, M.A. – Temple University
Co-author: Jonathan Rabner, M.A. – Temple University
Co-author: Anthony Leon, PhD – University of Pennsylvania
Co-author: Abigail Farina, BA – Devereux Children's Behavior Health Services
Co-author: Madison Brown, BA – Towson University
Co-author: Philip C. Kendall, ABPP, ABPP, Ph.D. – Temple University
Presenter: Cyanea Poon, M.A. – University of Massachusetts Boston
Co-author: Alexandra Werntz, Ph.D. – University of Massachusetts Boston
Co-author: Selen Amado, PhD – University of Massachusetts Boston
Co-author: Jean Rhordes, Ph.D – University of Massachusetts Boston
Presenter: Allison C. Goodman, M.S. – Florida International University
Co-author: Giuseppi "Joe" Castaldi, PhD – City Year Miami
Co-author: Cherie N. Cancio, B.S. – City Year Miami
Co-author: Katherine Bryant, PhD – City Year Miami
Co-author: Stacy L. Frazier, Ph.D. – Florida International University
Presenter: Samuel D. McQuillin, Ph.D. – university of south carolina
Co-author: Mackenzie Hart, MA – University of South Carolina
Co-author: Heather McDaniel, Ph.D. – University of Virginia