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Evaluation ViewAttendees 5

Child / Adolescent - Depression
Symposia

Symposium 43 - School-Based Opportunities for Adolescent Recovery (SOARing): A School-Based, DBT-Skills Targeted Intervention for Adolescents

Friday, November 15, 2024
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Regency Ballroom C2, Second Floor Mezzanine, Loews Hotel
CE: 1.5

Keywords: DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), Adolescents, Community-Based
Level of Familiarity: All
Recommended Readings: Rathus, J. H., & Miller, A. L. (2002). Dialectical behavior therapy adapted for suicidal adolescents. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 32(2), 146-157.,  

MacPherson, H. A., Cheavens, J. S., & Fristad, M. A. (2013). Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents: Theory, treatment adaptations, and empirical outcomes. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(1), 59-80.

,   Groves, S., Backer, H. S., Van den Bosch, W., & Miller, A. (2012). Dialectical behaviour therapy with adolescents. Child and Adolescent mental Health, 17(2), 65-75.,   Mazza, J. J., Dexter-Mazza, E. T., Miller, A. L., Rathus, J. H., & Murphy, H. E. (2016). DBT Skills in Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents DBT STEPS-A. Guilford Publications.,  

Adolescents from under-resourced backgrounds are disproportionately at-risk for experiencing chronic stressors, which often negatively impact their psychological well-being. Effective prevention programming is vital for improving mental health outcomes in these youth populations. Community partnerships offer unique avenues for translating evidence-based interventions to meet the needs of communities who have historically faced barriers to mental health treatment. School-based programs are particularly well-suited for providing an accessible and affordable option for early intervention and addressing these disparities.
This symposium reviews the rationale, development, and preliminary effectiveness of a school-based intervention for adolescents attending a continuation school in an underserved community. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which is rooted in CBT techniques, was the chosen modality due to its emphasis on teaching a balance of change (i.e., emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness) and acceptance (i.e., mindfulness, distress tolerance) skills within the context of a validating environment. We provide a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis examining the adolescent DBT literature across different treatment settings, levels of care, and problem behaviors. School-based interventions, such as DBT STEPS-A, have been shown to be a promising avenue for bolstering socioemotional health in universal youth samples. The subsequent presentations expand on this literature by providing evidence-based support for a condensed, culturally adapted manual for targeted adolescent populations derived from DBT STEPS-A, titled School-Based Opportunities for Adolescent Recovery (SOARing).
SOARing is a novel approach for disseminating DBT skills for youth who have pre-screened as at-risk for emotion dysregulation difficulties. We describe the development, acceptability, and feasibility of the intervention demonstrated during its initial pre-pilot trial. We then provide support for SOARing’s preliminary effectiveness in exploring findings from a larger pilot, spanning two years and 11 participant groups. Results suggest that SOARing: (1) may support the acquisition of DBT skills and the improvement of depression and anxiety symptoms, (2) can utilize a text messaging adjunct to improve attendance and perceived learning, and (3) appears to be well-received by adolescents in terms of both qualitative and quantitative measures of satisfaction. Clinical implications and opportunities for scaling and sustainability of the intervention are also discussed.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Present an overview of the evidence-base for adolescent DBT interventions.
  2. Describe relevant contextual and cultural considerations when adapting and implementing evidence-based interventions.
  3. Summarize the rationale for utilizing school-based DBT interventions to target mental health outcomes in adolescents.
  4. Discuss how automated text messaging may be used as a tool to enhance participation in DBT-skills group interventions.
  5. Identify opportunities for incorporating qualitative data collection to analyze participants’ satisfaction and constructive feedback.

Presentations:

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 43) Dialectical Behavior Therapy Programming for Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical and Implementation Outcomes

    Speaker: Maya Boustani, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Erica T. Mazzone, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health

    Co-author: James Hodgins, B.A., M.A. (he/him/his) – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Leslie Rith-Najarian, PhD (she/her/hers) – Strive Mental Health Services

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 43) Soaring: The Acceptability and Feasibility of a DBT Skills Training Program for At-risk Adolescents

    Speaker: Shayna Greenberg, M.A. – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Erica T. Mazzone, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health

    Co-author: Chalita Antommarchi, PsyD – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Gabriela Bagnara, PsyD – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Hannah Jutzy, M.A. – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Abby Alido, PsyD – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Maya Boustani, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 43) Project Soaring: The Impact of School-based DBT Skills on Depression and Anxiety

    Speaker: Erica T. Mazzone, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health

    Co-author: James Hodgins, B.A., M.A. (he/him/his) – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Shayna Greenberg, M.A. – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Diana G. Marin, M.A. – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Holly Morrell, PhD (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health

    Co-author: Maya Boustani, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 43) Textsavvy: Examining the Effectiveness of a Text Messaging Adjunct to a DBT Skills Intervention for Youth in a Low Resource Community

    Speaker: James Hodgins, B.A., M.A. (he/him/his) – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Erica T. Mazzone, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health

    Co-author: Shayna Greenberg, M.A. – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Holly Morrell, PhD (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health

    Co-author: Maya Boustani, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 43) A Novel School-based DBT Skills Training Program for At-risk Adolescents:
    feedback from Participants

    Speaker: Emma Franklin, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Jennifer Diaz Navarro, B.A. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Erica T. Mazzone, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University School of Behavioral Health

    Co-author: James Hodgins, B.A., M.A. (he/him/his) – Loma Linda University

    Co-author: Maya Boustani, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Loma Linda University