July 2018
In This Issue
Who We Are
SPARC
As a Massachusetts
Department of Mental Health Research Center of Excellence, SPARC aims to improve the mental and behavioral health of all citizens of Massachusetts and beyond.
SPARC
Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research 
promotes the full participation in socially valued roles of transition-age youth and young adults (ages 14-30) with serious mental health conditions.
What We Do
SPARC and the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research are committed to transferring knowledge and insights gained through rigorous research to improve the lives of people with lived mental health experience.

We conduct Participatory Action Research, an all-inclusive approach that ensures that every aspect of our research incorporates the voices of those with lived mental health experience. 
Tell Us What You Think
We want to hear from you!
 
If you are interested in knowing more about a particular area of research or want to collaborate with us, please let us know .
Contact us at:
 SPARC@umassmed.edu
 
Subscribe & Share! Please subscribe and/or share this e-letter with your networks; we're happy to include them in our circle.
Stay Connected

Upcoming Local Conferences and Events
The SPARC and Law & Psychiatry Research Seminar

Forensic Mental Health: Down-Under is on July 19 at SPARC in Shrewsbury, MA.  In this talk Dr. Bree Wyeth will outline the development of Forensic Mental Health Services in Australia with reference to our socio-cultural and legal context. Learn more here.  If you can't attend, a recording of the seminar will be made available on SPARC's website here.


Save the Date

The 5th Annual Deaf Mental Health Symposium - Legal and Forensic Issues in Deaf Mental Health Care is on October 12 at the Worcester Recovery Center & Hospital. 

SPARC and the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research will have a table at this event.

Stay tuned for more details.


Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was founded in 2008 to bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face in regard to mental illness in the United States. In this newsletter we highlight some of what SPARC has available to individuals and families with diverse backgrounds that vary by race, ethnicity, religion, and language.
Tip Sheet Spotlight


SPARC and the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research have translated many of our publications into Spanish.  We also have some products available in Vietnamese and American Sign Language videos.
Study Results
W orcester Community Mental Health Assessment

The Worcester Community Mental Health Assessment was a community-based overview of the challenges Worcester residents, providers, and Executive Directors report seeing on a daily basis, the different perspectives residents hold about mental health and treatment, the various approaches to coping with stress that residents demonstrate, and the barriers and facilitators relevant to accessing mental health services. See the full study report here .

The DREAMers Study: Undocumented College Students, Social Exclusion and Psychological Distress

Rosalie Torres Stone, Ph.D. is a co-investigator on the "Dreamer's" study, which examines how illegal citizenship status influences the mental well-being of undocumented college-age students. It also aims to identify what social supports can alleviate psychological stressors associated with having an illegal status.  See the results of the study in her webinar and  poster.
Improving Practice
What Do You Know about Serving Southeast Asian Immigrants & Refugees?

Immigrants and refugees from Southeast Asia, including Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, often do not easily talk about mental health conditions. Sometimes symptoms of stress are not seen as psychological, but are attributed to other causes or described as physical ailments. Many Southeast Asian refugees have experienced trauma, sometimes severe, in their home countries prior to leaving or during their travels to the United States. Increasing your sensitivity to the traditions and culture of Southeast Asia can help you to better serve your clients.

For more information, download SPARC's Tips for Mental Health Providers Working with Southeast Asian Immigrants/Refugees in English and Vietnamese.

Be Ready: Tips for Working with Deaf Individuals for Clinics, Hospitals, and Emergency Providers

Check out this video that gives tips and tricks on what to do if a Deaf individual comes to your clinic, hospital or ER. You'll learn how to find an interpreter and work with them.  Watch  the video here.
Advancing Research
Did you miss our webinar Managing Addiction in Offenders through Court-Mandated Treatment?

This webinar discusses developing interventions that could be used to improve drug treatment court program retention and thereby reduction in substance use and criminal recidivism for individuals involved with the criminal justice system. Find the webinar and slides here.
In the News
New publication from SPARC's Gina Vincent!

Trust and Legitimacy Built through Structured, Fair, and Objective Decision Making  by Michael Gropman, Ed.D. & Gina M. Vincent, Ph.D.

Recent discourse suggests that successful and stable relationships between the police and the public are built on trust and legitimacy through fair, equitable, and respectful treatment in law enforcement's effort to control crime, disorder, and even terrorism. At the center of these discussions are the examination of police use of force practices, the discretionary use of police authority, and the potential biases that might result from uncontrolled discretionary police practices. Evidence-based policing is fundamental to these issues. Read more about it here .
  
                   Visit SPARC online at:   www.umassmed.edu/sparc


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