Piloting a Learning Collaborative for School-Based Bilingual Providers Delivering Evidence-Based Interventions
University of Oregon
Summary
This pilot feasibility trial is designed to evaluate an adapted Learning Collaborative (LC) as an implementation strategy to support delivery of the Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups (STRONG) intervention in school settings serving newcomer youth. The LC will support bilingual school-based mental health providers delivering STRONG, a group-based, school-delivered behavioral intervention targeting stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and externalizing behaviors among newcomer middle school students. STRONG will be facilitated by bilingual providers with participating students and their caregivers completing pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing youth emotional and behavioral well-being. The primary aim is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of the LC for supporting school-based implementation of STRONG, with feasibility measured by participation in LC activities and completion of implementation supports, and acceptability and appropriateness assessed through provider and leader feedback. Secondary aims include examining whether provider and school leader engagement in LC activities is associated with STRONG implementation fidelity and youth outcomes, and exploring potential mechanisms linking LC engagement to fidelity, including provider self-efficacy, leadership support, and team psychological safety. School-based providers and school leaders (e.g., principals and superintendents) will participate in LC activities focused on shared learning, collaboration, and implementation problem-solving, along with ongoing supports such as structured team support calls, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, and feedback forms during STRONG implementation cycles.
Description
Bilingual providers play a critical role in increasing access to mental health care, yet there is a dearth of literature on bilingual provider training needs when delivering evidence-based interventions, especially to youth, and even less research on school-based interventions delivered in Spanish. One group with high mental health needs that relies on bilingual providers is newcomer youth, who have migrated to the U.S. within the past 5 years. Despite this high need, very few interventions have been developed for newcomers. One exception is Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups…
Eligibility
- Age range
- Not specified
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: School Leader Eligibility: * (a) over 18 years old; * (b) district-level or school-level staff who manage and oversee operations and may have some decision-making power; district examples are superintendents and directors, and school examples are principals, vice principals, and directors. School Providers Eligibility: * (a) over 18 years old; * (b) mental health clinicians or school staff who regularly interact with newcomer students; * (c) bilingual in Spanish/English. It is important to note that at least one mental health clinician must facilitate STRONG but the co-…
Interventions
- BehavioralSTRONG
Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups (STRONG) is a school-based group intervention for anxiety, depression, and externalizing symptoms in newcomer youth. STRONG is an evidence-based treatment and has been translated in 6 languages. Newcomer youth will be receiving the STRONG intervention, which will be administered by school mental health providers. STRONG is a 10-week intervention, with one individual session with each newcomer student, a caregiver/parent session, and a teacher session if available. STRONG is strengths based, teaches newcomers coping skills, draws from cognitive behavioral therapy and because it is a group intervention, it helps facilitate social connectedness among newcomers.
- BehavioralLearning Collaborative
A 12-month Learning Collaborative (LC) will be assigned to schools leaders/staff to help support the implementation of the STRONG intervention in schools. A LC helps systems implement effective interventions to improve the quality of care offered. Teams implementing STRONG and school leaders will meet often to learn about topics relevant to STRONG/newcomers and collaboratively solve challenges that arise when implementing STRONG. The LC consists of in person Peer Learning Workshop where participants will hear a presentation on a topic relevant to STRONG/newcomers and discuss their progress in implementing STRONG. The LC will also include Team Support Calls with all teams delivering STRONG on a regular basis. School leaders and school mental health providers will be participating in the LC.
Location
- University of OregonEugene, Oregon