University of Notre Dame psychology experts are eager to launch a project offering a new single-encounter approach, along with a self-service online platform, to help Michiana teens with mental health problems. WVPE’s Jeff Parrott reports they first want community input to help shape the platform.
Notre Dame psychology Professor Kristin Valentino says the new St. Joseph County Universal Wellness Project will be modeled after an evidence-based one-time interaction developed by Northwestern University researchers. She says it’s not meant to replace outpatient therapy, but research has shown it’s effective in helping improve teens’ mental health.
”The person who’s doing the consultation with the youth tries to get them to articulate what’s one problem they want to solve, and part of the process involves identifying a few concrete steps they can take toward making progress to that goal,” Valentino said.
To help design an online platform teens also will be able to use themselves, organizers are recruiting adults who’ve worked with teens, and youth themselves, to serve on community advisory boards.
“And then once the platform is ready, we’re going to be hopefully also leveraging those folks who’ve participated in the community advisory boards to help us share the platform and make all teens in the county aware of this resource that’s available to them.”
Valentino says there’s a mental health care shortage locally, with many teens and adults on waiting lists to receive care.
“A local practice that has a long waitlist, we would love to train somebody from their clinic to learn how to do these and then they could offer it to the folks on their waitlist.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: In full disclosure, the University of Notre Dame is a financial supporter of WVPE.
