Reaching young people through accessible, engaging, and evidence-based mental health interventions
Psychological disorders most often begin in adolescence and young adulthood, so I focus on prevention and early intervention. While many evidence-based mental health interventions exist, they often don’t reach young people. At the same time, there is an abundance of services, particular digital mental health interventions, that may be used by young people, despite the fact that such a service may have never been rigorously evaluated for its effectiveness. Popular does not mean best. Claiming to be “evidence-based” is not the same as being clinically effective. Showing efficacy in a research trial does not equal appealing or feasible for young people’s daily life in the real world. My research aims to bridge these gaps. In service of this broader mission, a common aim in my research studies is to focus on traditionally under-served populations.
As an associate editor at Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, I handle the journal’s manuscripts for (a) digital mental health services and (b) evidence synthesis.
Research profiles: Google Scholar, Research Gate, and Open Science Framework.
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I developed StriveWeekly, a self-guided, skills-based program that teaches university students evidence-based coping skills on a campus-wide weekly schedule. The program was built from a systematic review of effective prevention programs, then tested in an open trial and two randomized controlled trials. The first trial (n = 1,607) found the largest benefits for students with elevated symptoms. The second (n = 519) found that users had a lower rate of new-onset depression and anxiety. I also study engagement: who uses digital interventions, what gets in the way, and how motivation and adherence shape outcomes. Example publications:
For a full list of relevant research publications, see my profiles on Google Scholar or Research Gate.
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Campus settings allow intervention at scale and at a formative time in early adulthood. My work here ranges from reviewing which prevention programs work for students to testing how outreach and branding affect who enrolls. Example publications:
I also contribute to the Healthy Minds Network's student mental health best practices work, speak with media and policymakers about student mental health, and offer consultation on campus mental health best practices.
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My earliest research work focused on the stress response in adolescents, and has evolved to investigate how we can help adolescents better cope with stress, thereby preventing the onset of psychopathology.
Example intervention-focused research:
Foundational work:
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In addition to conducting evidence synthesis research within the three areas above, I also conduct and collaborate on systematic reviews and meta-analyses that focus more broadly on intervention research from childhood through young adulthood. Example publications: