April 11-17, 2022

USF grad programs rank among the best in America

St. Pete Catalyst

"Leading the way for USF is its industrial and organizational psychology program at No. 3, public health at No. 16, and audiology and criminology both came in at No. 18." 

USF students to use creative performances to talk openly about mental health

WUSF

"Dr. Kristin Kosyluk is an assistant professor of Mental Health Law and Policy at the university and is coordinating with the USF School of Theater and Dance and others..."

MHLP researcher receives $1.3 million to break cycle of intergenerational addiction

Mirage News

"Khary Rigg, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, conducts research that focuses on..."

Lynch, Michael J., and Michael A. Long. (2022). Green Criminology: Capitalism, Green Crime and Justice, and Environmental Destruction. Annual Review of Criminology. 5: 255-276. doi:10.1146/annurev-criminol-030920-114647

Lynch, M. J., Stretesky, P. B., Long, M. A., & Barrett, K. L. (2022). The climate change-temperature-crime hypothesis: Evidence from a sample of 15 large US cities, 2002 to 2015. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 66(4), 430–450. doi:10.1177/0306624x20969934 

Moule, R. K., Burruss, G. W., Jaynes, C. M., Weaver, C., & Fairchild, R. (2022). Concern, cynicism, and the coronavirus: Assessing the influence of instrumental and normative factors on individual defiance of COVID-19 Mitigation Guidelines. Crime & Delinquency. doi:10.1177/00111287221074962 

Polonijo, A. N., Dubé, K., Galea, J. T., Greene, K. Y., Taylor, J., Christensen, C., & Brown, B. (2022). Attitudes toward payment for research participation: Results from a U.S. survey of people living with HIV. AIDS and Behavior. doi:10.1007/s10461-022-03660-2 

Salloum, A., Lu, Y., Chen, H., Salomon, K., Scheeringa, M. SD., Cohen, J. A., Swaidan, V. & Storch, E.A., (2022). Child and parent secondary outcomes in stepped care versus standard care treatment for childhood trauma. Journal of Affective Disorders, 307 87-96. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.049

Lindsay Peterson, PhD (SAS)

Assessing the Impact of a New Personal Care Attendant Program in Nursing Homes in Florida

Sponsor: Borchard Foundation Center on Law & Aging

1/30/2022-12/31/2022

Amount: $20,000

This research examines nursing home administrators' use of a new state-approved program to improve staffing through the use of personal care attendants (PCAs). These PCAs would have 16 hours of training and would be hired with the expectation that they will train for and pass the certified nursing assistant exam within four months. While this program may increase numbers of staff and improve staffing shortages it also involves risks, given that these minimally-trained personnel will directly interact with residents. We will conduct surveys including questions concerning nursing homes’ use of the PCA program and factors that make it easy or difficult to use, as well as benefits and risks of the program. The survey results will provide important guidance concerning whether and how this new program should be administered to improve staffing while not compromising resident care.

Kathleen Moore, PhD (MHLP)

Adult Post-Adjudication Drug Court Process Evaluation

Sponsor: Hillsborough County 13th Judicial Court

2/1/2022-6/30/2022

Amount: $44,552

The primary goal of this contract is to conduct a process evaluation of the Adult Drug Recovery Court (ADRC) in order to identify the ADRC programs' strengths, outcomes, performance measures, and opportunities for improvement. The process evaluation will take place over four months and will include several pieces of quantitative and qualitative information including:

• ADRC stakeholder interviews
• Participant focus group
• Treatment provider survey
• Review of treatment records review
• Observe treatment group
• Analysis of graduation, recidivism, and client outcome data

Upon completion of the process evaluation, a final report will be disseminated to the 13th Judicial Court and provide findings and recommendations to the court.

If you are a current FCIC Trainee, this message is for you!

Through a generous gift from the Evin B. Hartsell Foundation, the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC/UCEDD) is proud to offer trainees a scholarship opportunity for those living with disabilities or focusing their studies on the field of disability.

The Evin B. Hartsell Endowed Memorial Scholarship is open to full or part-time students at the sophomore, junior, senior or graduate academic levels. Applicants must be active trainees of FCIC/UCEDD and pursuing a major in Social Work or Counseling in the College of Behavioral & Community Sciences or Psychology in the College of Arts & Sciences, on any of the USF campuses.

Click here for more details.

Want to learn how to address challenging behavior in children and adolescents? Consider a Graduate Certificate in Positive Behavior Support.

The University of South Florida and the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities offer a fully online Graduate Certificate in Positive Behavior Support (PBS). This 12 credit hour course of study prepares individuals from mental health, school psychology, school administration, education, early education, social work, and related fields to be effective members of the school, early childhood, or individual support team implementing PBS. The program includes classes focused on providing consultation and guiding collaboration, implementing school-wide PBS, addressing behavior challenges in young children, and intensive individualized interventions.

Click here for more details on the program and how to apply.