The Canoe Journey study is an exploratory study aimed at examining the acceptability and fit of motivational interviewing (MI) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) among American Indian and Alaska Native youth and young adult Canoe Journey participants. The team will develop a list of MI and DBT approaches in collaboration with Canoe Journey partners, and exploring the acceptability and fit of the approaches during Canoe Journey events in 2025, along with a list of tribally specific approaches to healing mental health in collaboration with Canoe Journey partners and confirm knowledge of these approaches among participants in 2026. The team will examine the relationship between measures of wellness with knowledge and use of MI, DBT, and tribally specific approaches to healing mental health in 2027, along with the acceptability and fit of a relational mental health intervention among Canoe Journey participants.
Funding Type: Foundation
Event- related potential (ERP) as a biomarker for subtyping neurobiology of PTSD: A pilot study
This PTSD-focused methods-development EEG project aims to develop new tools for a) predicting PTSD treatment response, b) understanding the underlying biological process, and c) supporting the development of new treatments for PSTD. We are using an event-related potential (ERP) paradigm to develop non-invasive, easily implemented in clinic biomarker to provide useful information about the neurobiology of PTSD. The specific goals are to 1) collect ERP data within a veteran population before and after treatment with methylphenidate, 2) design data analysis methods that maximize available data, and 3) add to ongoing effort of translating technological advancements for PTSD research.
Redesigning Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Autistic Young Adults in Community Clinics
This project will 1) identify the unique barriers autistic young adults experience in accessing full-model Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for suicidal thoughts and behaviors and non-suicidal self-injury in community settings, 2) determine needed adaptations to DBT from the perspectives of service providers and recipients, and 3) user-test elements of a redesigned DBT protocol.
Health Outcomes of Betting on Sports (Project HOBS)
Project HOBS is examining associations between sports betting, mental health, and substance use among young adults. Surveys are collected bi-weekly for one calendar year (25 follow-ups) and at a distal 15-month follow-up.
Achieving Reach in Youth Behavioral Health and Wellness through Catchment-Area Community Governance
This study, funded as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action research program, evaluates the feasibility of the Youth Wellness Hub as a hyper-local community governance model for integrating delivery and financing systems for youth behavioral health and wellness services. The Youth Wellness Hub combines three social policy tools that are separately promising or well-supported in the research literature: community governance; public health education campaigns; and service network coordination through fiscal blending. The study uses a mixed-methods approach to assess feasibility of the model as tested in Tacoma, Washington, including surveys and interviews with community organizations together with a network analysis of these organizations. The study is conducted by the University of Washington in collaboration with the Excelsior Center for Health and Wellness, the Safe Streets Coalition, and other community partners.
Parent-Child Assistance Program – Oklahoma
This project seeks to compare the effectiveness of the Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) to services as usual in the state of Oklahoma using a randomized, controlled design.
SPARK
SPARK is an autism research study and a growing community of autistic individuals, their families, and researchers with a goal to advance the understanding of autism. This study aims to improve the lives of people with autism by identifying the causes of autism and informing more effective therapies, treatments, services, and supports.
Community curriculum codesign
Curriculum codesign is a capacity building initiative to cocreate therapeutic interventions alongside community partners using research translation and design-oriented activities.
Housing stability for youth
The Housing Stability for Youth (H-SYNC) model was developed by the UW CoLab team in collaboration with Snohomish and Kitsap County workgroups and is intended to serve as a prevention tool for youth homelessness. Specifically, it’s designed to identify youth at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness within existing processes in juvenile court systems and refer youth and their families to appropriate prevention and housing services via a stepped-care navigation model. The court system serves as a pivotal resource for the identification of these populations in need due to the high frequency of police and court contact these populations experience. This model is being implemented in four counties in Washington State, including King, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Okanogan Counties and in collaboration with community-based organizations such as the YMCA of Greater Seattle, Cocoon House, and Kitsap Mental Health Services.
As of 2022, H-SYNC prevention program is coordinated by the Y Social Impact Center at the YMCA of Greater Seattle. H-SYNC now represents a state-wide partnership between juvenile courts and local social service providers across counties including King, Snohomish, Peirce, Spokane, Okanagan and Kitsap.
Accelerating research use in courts
Measuring the use of research evidence within organizations and systems is a rapidly growing area of study in the social sciences as researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in a variety of systems try to bridge the research-to-practice gap. With growing calls for justice systems, especially juvenile justice systems, to integrate developmental and behavioral health science within all aspects of the justice process, it is critical to develop a standardized measure of how individuals use research evidence within these systems. This will allow researchers to examine how research is used across studies, sites, and points in time, as well as to refine and compare new interventions aimed at increasing the use of research. Toward this end, the UW CoLab research team with the help of the William T. Grant Foundation, is developing and validating a measure of research use with collaborators nationwide.
