(PS5-18) Graduate Student-Led Community-Academic Partnership to Bridge the Treatment Gap: Application of the CBPR Conceptual Model

Abstract Text: This presentation will describe graduate student-led development of a community-academic partnership between STRONG Youth, a local community organization, and the Lab for Youth Trauma Recovery (LYTR) at Hofstra University. The purpose of this partnership was to address trauma-related mental health disparities and systemic barriers to care by evaluating culturally responsive trauma-specific services in the community context. The Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) conceptual model (Wallerstein & Duran, 2010) was used to guide our partnership, with four iterative components: Contexts, Partnership Processes, Intervention and Research, and Outcomes.

Contexts: Established in 2000, STRONG works to address youth violence in communities of color on Long Island disproportionately affected by systemic inequities, intergenerational trauma, and limited access to resources. Despite the presence of mental health services locally, families served by STRONG do not use such services due to historical distrust, lack of culturally responsive care, and structural barriers. Our partnership with STRONG sought to bridge this gap by implementing evidence-based, trauma-focused interventions that are both accessible and attuned to the lived experiences of the local families. The broader aim was to build capacity within the community and foster trust in mental health services.

Partnership Processes: To ensure equitable involvement, STRONG staff were co-leaders in all decisions. As a first step to assessing organizational needs, we conducted a listening session with lead staff. Based on the needs identified, the LYTR team generated project ideas. We then collaboratively selected group-delivered Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Racial Socialization (TF-CBT+RS; Metzger et al., 2021) for Black youth. The LYTR team sought and obtained internal funding to support 2 cycles of TF-CBT+RS.

Intervention & Research

Design: TF-CBT+RS groups were co-facilitated by LYTR and STRONG staff. The first group with youth ages 8-12 was implemented successfully, with all families completing treatment and youth demonstrating symptom reduction. STRONG staff highlighted the need to extend these gains to their adolescents, given the high rates of gang involvement, truancy, and school disciplinary issues. We attempted to implement TF-CBT+RS with youth ages 13-17 but encountered barriers to engagement, including rival gang affiliations, juvenile justice involvement, and caregivers’ own trauma histories. These difficulties underscored the need for flexibility and responsiveness to community needs.

Outcomes: A collaborative decision was made to pivot away from TF-CBT+RS for adolescents, and we are now in the process of seeking funding to support the task-shifting of STAIR (Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation; Cloitre et el., 2002) for caregivers at STRONG. This shift was a community-driven modification that aligns with current priorities (i.e., addressing caregivers’ trauma histories).

The partnership building process outlined in this presentation will demonstrate how equitable contribution, shared leadership, and culturally responsive interventions can advance mental health equity.