3 - (SYM 40) Expanding Access to Mental Healthcare Through Community-engaged Research: Adapting Rainfrog Digital Therapy for Pima County Community College Students

Anxiety and other common mental disorders disproportionately affect community college students, who often face financial constraints, stigma, and limited access to providers. Although cognitive behavioral therapies are effective, less than half of young adults with a mental illness receive care. Digital therapies offer a promising solution by delivering standardized, evidence-based interventions at low or no cost, bridging gaps in accessibility. The RainFrog Digital Therapy Ecosystem (RF) was initially developed by Dr. Zachary Cohen and a team led by Professor Michelle Craske at the University of Los Angeles (UCLA) Depression Grand Challenge. RF includes 30+ therapy modules that use gold-standard techniques (e.g., cognitive restructuring, exposure) to target symptoms of common mental disorders. RF is currently available in both English and Spanish at UCLA and East Los Angeles Community College (ELAC) in clinical trials and service settings. This project aims to extend RF’s reach through developing community partnerships at Pima County Community College (PCC).

This project is funded by the University of Arizona (U of A) Community Engaged Partnerships grant and has two primary aims. Aim 1. Identify and develop partnerships with PCC leadership, students, and stakeholders. Aim 2. Conduct focus groups to assess community mental health needs and fit. We are working with U of A offices specializing in community engagement to establish contact with PCC leadership and assess interest in RF. We plan to meet with PCC leadership to assess mental health needs and interest in RF. If there is mutual interest, we will co-sponsor events to connect with students and provide information about RF. We will recruit up to 40 PCC stakeholders for focus groups to assess and leverage students’ experiences across 4 major domains, with the goal of optimizing RF content and our implementation strategy in this population. Domains include cultural and linguistic relevance, barriers to mental healthcare access, attitudes toward digital therapy, implementation and dissemination strategies. Data collection will conclude Summer 2025, and we will present qualitative results from focus groups at the ABCT 2025 Convention.

This project will use a community-engaged research framework to adapt RF to meet the unique needs of students at PCC. We hope to set the stage for the implementation of no-cost services and clinical trials assessing RF in this population, and to inform broader dissemination to address the mental healthcare crisis for college students and young adults globally.