Current Projects
CAP
The Child Anxiety Program (CAP) is currently collecting research data evaluating anxiety, depression, emotion regulation, parental accommodation, and overall child functioning. The research program’s overarching goal is to evaluate program outcomes to refine treatment procedures to better tailor interventions for youth with anxiety.
See also: https://www.childanxietyprogram.com/ and https://web.uri.edu/pcc/child-anxiety-program/
Mind. Set. Go! Program
Mind. Set. Go! (MSG) is a cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention for children (aged 6-16) with anxiety. Using evidence-based material, the Mind. Set. Go! Youth Anxiety Workbook, authored by Dr. Ellen Flannery-Schroeder, instructs the child in a number of coping strategies that help children and adolescents learn how to manage anxiety-provoking situations. MSG’s main objectives are to provide skills to identify feelings and physical responses to anxiety, rethink thoughts, identify problems and solutions, and utilize resources such as social support and personal strengths. A major emphasis of the MSG program is on exposure tasks that permit children to practice learned coping skills in a variety of anxiety-provoking situations.
Mind. Set. Go! Parent Handbook
Springboarding off the comprehensive exam work of Ciara James, a clinical psychology graduate student and PAALs member, the PAALs lab is currently working on the preparation of a parent/caregiver handbook to accompany the already completed Mind. Set. Go! Youth Anxiety Workbook. The handbook is designed to provide essential information about anxiety and its treatment, positioning the parent/caregivers(s) to better support and reinforce concepts that the child is learning in the Mind. Set. Go! program.
The Greatest 8™
The Greatest 8™ is a research-informed, parent/caregiver education initiative designed to instill 8 core skills in young children (ages 0-8) for a lifetime of mental wellness. The 8 foundational mental health skills are: Communication Skills, Identifying & Understanding Feelings, Balancing Emotions, Self-Perceived Competence, Problem-Solving, Coping & Resilience, Conflict Management & Resolution, and Diversity Awareness & Respect. Over the last 3 years, we have built a content-rich website at thegreatest8.org where parents/caregivers can learn about The Greatest 8™ skills by age, listen to podcasts, download a family game, or read our parent blogs. We have conducted a variety of parent, early childhood education, and primary care physician workshops to share information about The Greatest 8™. Most recently, we launched a Text Messaging Service (TMS) to provide weekly age-appropriate tips and activities to help parents/caregivers teach the 8 core skills to their children.
Pandemic Effects on Mental Health
Data was collected during the summer of 2020 to investigate the mechanisms by which several different factors (e.g., sleep quality, excessive eating, social isolation, coping strategies) may contribute to the development and maintenance of anxiety and depression during a global pandemic. The research also investigates the impact of the current global pandemic (COVID-19) on mental health and attitudes towards teletherapy. Individuals 18 years and older, currently living in the United States, completed online measures that assessed symptoms of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and related factors, as well as the impact of COVID-19. The information gathered from this study is helping researchers better understand the impact that a global pandemic or a global crisis can have on individuals’ mental health and which factors may be related to the development and maintenance of anxiety and depression during such crises.