Welcome to our iSPARC June 2020 Newsletter!
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A Message from our Director, Maryann Davis

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Webinar on Mental Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Collaboration
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Supporting Youth Vocational Goals with Mental Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Collaboration: Implications for the Present
Presenters: Maryann Davis, Nancy Koroloff, & Anwyn Gatesy-Davis
Date & Time: June 30, 2020 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
Details: This webinar will present findings from a study examining collaboration between state vocational rehabilitation agencies and public mental health systems related to the vocational goals of transition-age youth (ages 14-24) with serious mental health conditions.
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Using Risk Assessment and Risk-Needs-Responsivity Principles in Juvenile Justice
There is an emerging consensus in the juvenile justice field that punitive sanctions alone do not have a significant effect on reducing juvenile reoffending. For some youths, any exposure to the juvenile justice system (e.g. community service or probation) can actually increase their chances of offending again
Given the high cost of confinement of juvenile offenders, it would benefit both juveniles and juvenile justice agencies to assess risks of re-offending among juveniles. This can divert low risk offenders away from the juvenile justice system and focus on services to high risk offenders Read our Issue Brief on this topic in
English or
Spanish.
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Using Mindfulness for Increasing Provider Capacity to Support Inner City Survivors of Violence
Mindfulness is recognized as an evidence-based practice that can improve a person’s physical and emotional health and well-being. Practicing mindfulness can help individuals decrease stress, anxiety and emotional attachment to negative events.
A past iSPARC research project examined the cultural relevance and potential acceptability of mindfulness practices by frontline providers working with a low-income community of color affected by gun homicide. Read more details
HERE.
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Why Engage Frontline Staff When Implementing a New Practice?
5 Important Reasons
When an organization implements new practices, programs, or policies, it is a complex process of change that relies on many factors. One of the most important factors is making sure to include all relevant stakeholders in the design, development, and execution of an implementation plan – especially frontline providers.
This tip sheet offers five critical reasons to integrate frontline providers throughout the process of implementing a new practice, program, or policy at your organization.
Read our tip sheet from iSPARC
HERE.
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Moving from Trauma-Informed to Trauma-Responsive Care Through Training, Referral and Treatment for Youth and Families Webinar
This webinar discusses the services and main outcomes of the Child Trauma Training Center. Its mission is to improve identification of child trauma among professionals and increase access to evidence-based, trauma-informed services for youth and families in Massachusetts impacted by trauma.
Watch the webinar and download the slides
HERE.
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NEW!
Parents Chime In: Our Self-Care Strategies While Supporting Loved Ones with Mental Health Conditions During a Pandemic
In 2019, the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research’s (Transitions ACR) Family Advisory Board created a tip sheet called
For Families or Caregivers: Self-Care is Putting on YOUR Oxygen Mask First to remind caregivers about the importance of intentional self-care. In the wake of COVID-19, that tried and true saying of “putting on your mask first before helping others” takes on a whole new meaning. We asked our Family Advisory Board members to provide thoughts on how they adapted their self-care strategies and to share tips on supporting their loved ones w/ mental health conditions in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the tip sheet
HERE.
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Maintaining
Your Emotional Wellness During COVID-19
Being anxious during unprecedented times is completely normal, but the fear and uncertainty can have a negative impact on your mental health. Now more than ever taking care of your mental health is a priority. Read more
HERE.
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How To Talk About Mental Health
Could you use some help in speaking up and addressing common misunderstandings about mental health in the media and in your daily interactions? This tip sheet "
How to Talk About Mental Health" can help. Especially now, when more people are facing mental health concerns, it's important to be able to "
Seize the Awkward" and have these conversations. Read the tip sheet
HERE.
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Young Adult Corner - In Her Words...
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"Managing My Chronic Medical & Mental Health Conditions
Amidst COVID-19"
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"The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our world in a multitude of ways, including our healthcare system. I find this aspect of the pandemic particularly challenging because I have multiple medical conditions that require regular and frequent treatment, including inpatient hospital stays and surgeries. Like many others, my healthcare has been affected by the pandemic. It has been harder to manage my medical conditions, which has consequently led to an increase in mental health symptoms."
Read more
HERE.
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Upcoming Events - Save the Dates
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Transitions ACR's Webinar
- Tuesday, June 30th 3-4PM EST.
This research aims to identify potential factors that will improve inter-organizational collaborations among the triangle of service systems (vocational rehabilitation, child mental health, and adult mental health, in order to improve the transition to employment in youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions (SMHCs).
Register Here
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NAMICon 2020
- July 13-14. Join NAMI at their first virtual NAMI Convention. "Together Towards Tomorrow". Info/Register
HERE
.
R
aise the Bar Higher Conference
- October 21st. Work Without Limit's conference will be virtual this year. Info/Register
HERE
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Ekaterina (Kate) Pivovarova, Ph.D., an iSPARC researcher and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UMass Medical School, recently received a Career Development (K23) award from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), which will cover much of her salary and research for the next 3 years! These awards are highly competitive and very prestigious.
Kate’s research will involve working with Massachusetts Drug Courts and community providers to increase access to medications for opioid use disorder, an evidence-based treatment for substance use disorder. She will use implementation science methods to adapt an approach for improving interagency relationships to increase access to medications for opioid use disorder for justice-involved individuals in drug court.
This is a very timely and exciting project to bring effective treatment to individuals with opioid use disorder in the Commonwealth. The grant is very well-deserved! Please join us in congratulating Kate!
Read more about Dr. Pivovarova’s work
HERE
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Highlighting Massachusetts Department of Mental Health's Other
Research Center of Excellence
Learn about the other Massachusetts DMH Research Center of Excellence, MGH Center of Excellence for Psychosocial and Systemic Research, by joining their quarterly newsletter. The Summer 2020 issue will go out in July and focuses on the topic of digital psychiatry.
Click here to sign up to receive this and future quarterly newsletters
. Check out the Spring 2020 issue, which focuses on recovery and features three personal recovery stories,
here
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What is Transitions ACR Doing?
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Our HYPE Career Development Classes Have Gone Virtual!
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Helping Youth on the Path to Employment (HYPE)
provides flexible, solution-focused, career-oriented services based on your needs and preferences. This includes but is not limited to:
- Finding out what you want to do
- Getting a job
- Enrolling in and completing college or vocational-technical programs
- Helping you identify and pursue your school and work goals
- Work on things that get in the way of pursuing your goals, like low energy, feeling forgetful, or feeling stuck
- Getting organized for work and school success!
Who Can Sign up?
ANY young adult (18-30) with a self-identified mental health condition living ANYWHERE in Massachusetts who is interested in the topics identified above are welcome to register for these virtual courses!
Register for one or more courses here:
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Updated IPS Manuals & Fidelity Scales for Young Adults
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The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Manual for Transition Age Youth has been released by r
esearchers at
Westat
in collaboration with
Transitions ACR
.
You can read and download the IPS Supported Employment for Transition Age Youth: Helping Youth with Serious Mental Health Conditions to Access Jobs, Education and Career Manual
HERE.
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The
IPS Fidelity Scale for Young Adults
is recommended for use with IPS programs serving the age group from roughly 15 to 26 years of age.
This adapted scale has more age appropriate items being measured including family involvement, engagement and supported education.
View and download the newly updated IPS Fidelity Scale for Young Adults
HERE.
View and download the accompanying score sheet
HERE.
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iSPARC is a Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) Center of Excellence for Public Mental Health Services and Implementation Research that aims to improve the mental and behavioral health of all citizens of Massachusetts and beyond. iSPARC is committed to transferring knowledge and insights gained through rigorous research to improve the lives of people with lived mental health experience.
We conduct Participatory Action Research, an all-inclusive approach that ensures that every aspect of our research incorporates the voices of those with lived mental health experience.
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here.
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