Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research February 2024 Newsletter

In this Issue...

• Two new podcasts this month: Community Participation & Avatar-Based Health Interventions
• Resources for Career and Technical Education Month
• Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) launches this month - our Resources
• Popular Tip Sheets on Employment and Life Skills for Young Adults
• In Case You Missed It

STAY Tuned Podcast Episodes 13 & 14

Salsa Dancing, a Youth Advisory Board and Peer Support for Mental Health

In STAY Tuned Episode 13, podcast host Emily talks with Joshua Calarino, a member of our Youth Advisory Board, about ways getting involved in his community has helped his mental health. We talk about his participation in Youth Move, as a peer support specialist, and his experience as a member of our Youth Advisory Board. Joshua highlights the impact that a strong sense of community can have on young adults’ mental health. Listen to the podcast. Watch the podcast. Read the transcript.

This podcast episode was developed by our new Center for Community Inclusion and Reflective Collaborative (The CIRC Center).

Learn more about The CIRC Center.

Can Avatars Help Young Adults Manage Alcohol Use Problems & Suicidal Thoughts?

In STAY Tuned Episode 14, we talk with Dr. Lourah Kelly who is testing an app-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for young adults with alcohol misuse and suicidal thoughts who have visited the emergency department. Can a mobile intervention using avatars help young adults manage their mental health after being discharged from the ED? Dr. Lourah Kelly’s “Avatar Project” explores this possibility and it's fascinating research.

Listen to the podcast. Watch the podcast. Read the transcript.

View all of our podcasts, watch them on YouTube

and read the transcripts HERE.

Career and Technical Education Month

February is Career & Technical Education (CTE) Month, a public awareness campaign hosted by the Association for Career and Technical Education to celebrate CTE, the accomplishments of CTE programs and the importance of CTE for all students of all ages. At Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research our research has found a positive impact of CTE programs for students with mental health conditions. Below we've listed some of the resources our research teams have developed through work we did in our TEST research project and others.

• Guide for Educators: Incorporating Career and Technical Education in Transition Planning for Students with Emotional Disturbance Guide for Educators

• Video: Incorporating CTE in Transition Planning for Students with Emotional Behavioral Disturbances

• Tip Sheet: School that Makes Sense Cent$ Taking CTE Courses

• Research Brief: Advancing Employment for Secondary Learners with Disabilities through CTE Policy and Practice

• Research w/ Examples: Promoting and Maintaining Career and Technical Education for Students with Disabilities: State strategies developed during the COVID-19 pandemic

Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 26 - March 3rd

Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW) 2024 is an annual campaign to educate the public about eating disorders and to engage in efforts to provide hope, support, and visibility to individuals and loved ones affected by eating disorders. Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2024 is February 26 – March 3.

We have developed a set of resources on eating disorders that include blog posts written by young adults at our center which are written from personal experience. We also have a podcast We invite you to read through them and share them with your community.

Dr. Nana Yaa Marfo, at iSPARC chatted with us in Episode 5 of our podcast about her research working on weight-related studies. The discussion included unrealistic body expectations promoted by social media, food insecurity on college campuses, the impact of weight stigma on young adult mental health, and how the social determinants of health play a role in weight stigma.

Listen to The WEIGHT of Weight Stigma

POPULAR TIP SHEETS FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Accommodations at Work: What Do I Need to Know?

Work can be hard for young adults. And a mental health condition can make things complicated. Accommodations at your workplace can be one helpful solution. But what are they? Our new tip sheet, "Accommodations at Work: What Do I Need to Know?" can help young adults figure that out and figure out what to ask for to help them be successful at their job.

Tip Sheet: Accommodations at Work

Passport to Adulting: Managing Your Paperwork

Our new comic, "Passport to Adulting: Managing Your Paperwork" complements our popular tip sheet "My Must Have Papers - Managing the Paperwork of Adulting. In the comic, Mom is helping her daughter prepare to handle her paperwork on her own as she moves out of the house.

Comic: Passport to Adulting

The accompanying tip sheet in English and Spanish is here.

Tip Sheets Now Available in Spanish

We have several new Tip Sheets for young adults now translated into Spanish. For a complete list, visit Spanish Language Products for Young Adults.

Managing the paperwork that comes along with "Adulting" is not fun. Our Young Adult Advisory Board and Family Advisory Board set out to make that task a little easier. "My Must Have Papers - Managing the Paperwork of Adulting" Tip Sheet.

This tip sheet is a good starting point for your young adult in their job search journey, covers many topics and includes some great networking resources. "Applying for a Job - The Young Adult's Guide" Tip Sheet

Sometimes a meme can convey a feeling that is hard to articulate.

Check out the memes developed by the young adults in our National Youth Advisory Board (YAB). They get posted to our various social media platforms.



RESOURCES BY TOPIC

Tip sheets, briefs, reports, articles, posters, infographics and video by topic

Employment — Education — Life Skills



Many publications are available in Spanish (en español) or Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt).

Some of the contents of this message are supported in part under grants with funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, (NIDILRR), United States Departments of Health and Human Services (NIDILRR grant numbers 90RTEM0005 and 90RTCP0010) and co-funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services. The contents of this message do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, SAMHSA, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.​