Completed Training Projects
The training projects below were funded by the US Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (NIDRR grant H133B090018). The training projects do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Training activities are interactive and match the significant expertise of the intended audience with subject matter, method, and objectives. Some key training activities were based on knowledge derived from research findings, and others informed our ongoing research. The combined purpose of the training and knowledge translation activities was to ensure that the RTC engaged all stakeholders and actors in its activities, kept them informed of our progress and findings, and was an earnest partner in the effort to improve school-to-work transition support interventions for transition age youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions.
Post Doctoral Training
We have recruited a recent graduate from doctoral programs related to human or educational services research. The training included focused readings on the development stages of transitioning into adulthood, on disciplines across services that may be less familiar to the individual, and on research about these services. Additionally, she worked with one mentor from the multiple researchers at the Transitions RTC, and defined a research question to be addressed, building on the funded research of the RTC.
Community of Practice
We partnered with the RRTC on Vocational Rehabilitation and the National Center for the Dissemination of Rehabilitation Research (NCDDR) to implement a Community of practice (CoP). The CoP involved multiple stakeholders who worked together to develop actions that to improve rehabilitation services for transition age youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions. This activity focused on improving the school-to-work transition in the state of Massachusetts.
Related Products and Materials
Tip Sheets |
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Building a Community of Practice to Support Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions |
Presentation Slides |
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Creating a Community of Practice for Supporting Transition Age Youth with Serious Mental Health Conditions |
Poster |
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Creating a Community of Practice on Transition Age Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions in Northeast Massachusetts |
Infographic |
Pre-service Training for Transition Age Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions for Graduate Students in Special Education
The goal of this project was to prepare special education practitioners to work with transition age youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions. We developed and delivered a curriculum on the transition needs of students with serious mental health conditions for masters level secondary special education teachers at the University of Oregon.
Clubhouse Staff and Members in Engaging Young Adults for School and Work
The goal here was to enhance and refine the Clubhouse Young Adult Training Curriculum currently used in a Worcester, Massachusetts clubhouse. The changes came from features identified as appealing or hindering three vocational support programs gained from the “Appealing Features of Vocational Supports for Latinos and Non-Latinos TAYYA Consumers,” research project.
Related Products and Materials
Presentation Slides |
A New Manualized Training Approach for Engaging Young Adults in Community Mental Health Programs
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State-of-the-Science Conference
During year four, the Transitions RTC held a State of the Science Conference. The goals of the conference included: increasing the capacity to conduct research and evaluate complex services systems; provide advanced training in cutting edge research methods; create a network to support learning and collaboration between researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, and families, the target audiences of the Center. This conference was held as one track of the Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI) annual Children’s Mental Health and Policy Conference, an annual conference that has been running for over 20 years: http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/cmhconference
Federal Policy Supports of Vocational Achievements of Transition Age Youth and Young Adults: Assessment and Dissemination
We worked with Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law to update an earlier paper written by Chris Koyanagi and colleagues that analyzed Federal policies that impact transition-age youth with serious mental health conditions (Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, 2005; Davis & Koyanagi, 2005). This white paper served to disseminate to policy makers and program planners a blending of and current state of practice of federal initiatives in this area. This project focused on programs that can address financial and policy barriers, as well as provide opportunities for transition-aged youth and young adults to pursue education and career goals.
Related Products and Materials
Presentation Slides |
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Promise for the Future: How Federal Programs can Improve Career Outcomes for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions |
Manuals |
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Promise for the Future: How Federal Programs can Improve Career Outcomes for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions |
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Promise for the Future: A Compendium of Fact Sheets on Federal Programs for Transition Age Youth with Serious Mental Health Conditions |
