The Brief Intervention for School Clinicians (BRISC) has been the subject of two research studies funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES). In the most recent study, 48 high schools in three states (WA, MD, MN) were recruited and assigned to BRISC (n=23) or school-based services as usual (SAU; n=25). Clinicians working in schools assigned to BRISC gave positive ratings of BRISC feasibility, learnability, and acceptability. Students receiving BRISC (n=259) were more likely to receive SMH services at 2 months, more likely to have discharged from SMH by 6 months, and less likely to have received other MH services at 6 months. BRISC students showed greater rates of resolution of their self-reported problems and were more likely to move out of the clinical range for anxiety.
Targeted Condition: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Workforce for Student Well-being Initiative (WSW)
In 2023, Washington state was awarded $6 million from the U.S. Department of Education to create a pipeline from Washington state’s five accredited Masters in Social Work training programs to K-12 schools. Called the Workforce for Student Well-being Initiative (WSW), 100 aspiring school social workers will receive conditional scholarships based on their financial need so the cost of getting an education is not a barrier to their getting an advanced degree and then committing to working in a high-need public or tribal school. The goal of the WSW is to help all K-12 students in Washington to thrive by advancing the careers of skilled school social work professionals through training and mentorship.
Raising Washington
A partnership to provide comprehensive perinatal mental health and parenting support for the first 1,000 days
The Raising Washington Initiative seeks to develop an evidence-based fully integrated perinatal support program that will offer mental health care, parent training and support services for the first 1,000 days of a baby’s life (conception through child’s 2nd birthday) for every high-risk baby born in Washington. This will include creating care pathways informed by the needs of patients and providers, navigators to help guide families through the many care transitions in the perinatal period and accessible information to keep parents and babies healthy.
To learn more this work, please contact Project Manager Lori Ferro, MHA at ljf9@uw.edu.
Adopting a lifespan approach for ADHD management
ADHD is common, heritable and impairing. As recognition of the negative functional impacts associated with ADHD in adulthood has grown and stigma around the diagnosis has diminished, demand for ADHD care across the lifespan has increased.
This project will begin foundational work to inform the development of a family-focused lifespan clinic at UW serving adults and children with ADHD. For such a program to be effective, equitable, and sustainable, we must clarify the true needs of individuals living with ADHD as well as the professionals caring for them. We will convene four groups of key community partners: (1) Adults with ADHD whose children have ADHD, (2) Adolescents with ADHD, (3) Mental health professionals representing the fields of psychiatry, psychology, psychiatry advanced practice nursing, school-based counseling, (4) Primary care providers. Results will guide program development and illuminate future research opportunities.
Trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) for ADHD
TNS uses a device to send currents into the brain and stimulate the trigeminal nerve. This method has proven effective to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders. The research team is working to understand if this approach could help improve executive function and reduce symptoms of ADHD.
Previous studies have shown that this is effective for about half of people with ADHD. Our research team is working to better understand for whom this therapy might be most effective and if this could be a viable new treatment for ADHD.
Please contact us at tnsstudy@seattlechildrens.org.
Treating Parents and Children with ADHD (TPAC)
ADHD often runs in families. The TPAC study focuses on parents with ADHD who also have a child with the disorder, aiming to open the door to new ADHD treatments for adults and children. All parents in the study receive training that uses behavior modification techniques and reward-based interventions to improve communication, increase compliance and reduce negative interactions between parents and children. This training is offered in nine sessions via telehealth. Some parents in the study will also receive medication for ADHD.
This ADHD study aims to understand if treating the parent with medicine and/or parent training could reduce the need for medicine in young children, especially because children under six generally don’t respond well to medication. The theory with this approach is that parents with ADHD are more prone to being distracted and disorganized, and they are much less likely to receive treatment than children. If we can first help parents with ADHD, they may be more successful in implementing behavioral training to help their child.
Because a lot of ADHD research is conducted in white, middle-class families, our lab has added an additional piece to this study, focused on better serving under-resourced families. These families cover a broader range of ethnic groups and a larger geographic area. This research aims to reduce barriers to diagnosis and treatment, and include a wider range of participants in clinical trials. The goal of this work is to collect more data about how to best serve these groups and ultimately improve treatment and care in more diverse communities.
TPAC is a hybrid implementation study, meaning that it evaluates how well the treatment works and the impact on the region and providers. Twice a year, we have a focus group with pediatricians, social workers and parents that have been through this study to evaluate results. This collaborative approach aims to build a model for more multidisciplinary care and ultimately improve ADHD care across our state and beyond.
Interested in hearing more about this study? Please contact us at tpac@seattlechildrens.org.
