The Program The Body Project is a dissonance-based body-acceptance intervention designed to help high school and college-age women resist cultural pressures to conform to the thin-ideal standard of female beauty. The conceptual basis for the intervention is that when girls and young women voluntarily argue against the thin ideal in group-based verbal, written, and behavioral […]
Special Populations
Practical Guide for Expanding the Community-based Behavioral Health Workforce
This guide presents best practices for expanding community-initiated prevention and care, information on the role of behavioral health specialists, examples of community-based models of care, and resources for communities working to ensure community members’ well-being. Population of Focus: Behavioral Health Workforce Date: 2025 Additional Resources
Ableism in Mental Healthcare Settings: A Qualitative Study Among U.S. Adults With Disabilities
People with disabilities (PWD) face elevated mental health concerns and are more likely to utilize mental health services compared to their nondisabled counterparts, yet they also report higher unmet mental health service needs due to myriad attitudinal and environmental barriers to accessing care. Despite these well-documented disparities, little research has examined the nuanced lived experiences […]
HeartMath Coherence Training in Children with ADHD
The Program HeartMath: Coherence Training in Children With ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is designed for use with youth ages 8-14 who have a diagnosis of ADHD. The intervention aims to help these youth reduce stress, control impulses, and improve academic focus (e.g., word recognition, memory, attention, problem solving) by gaining and maintaining self-control over their emotional […]
The P.L.A.Y Project
The Program The Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters (P.L.A.Y) Project® is an evidence-based, early intervention program designed to support professionals and parents in fostering improved social and functional outcomes for children on the autism spectrum, those with autism traits, and other neurodivergent children. Grounded in four core principles—creating fun interactions, dedicating sufficient time for […]
Transcending Self Therapy-Virtual Reality (TST-VR) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Completion in Veterans
Transcending Self Therapy (TST) is an integrative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for substance use disorders (SUD). Virtual reality (VR)-based enhancement of treatment for mental health disorders holds potential as an innovative and immersive adjunct to standards of care. However, outside of cue-conditioning applications, how VR may assist SUD treatment is not well understood. The aim […]