The goal of this grant proposal is to gain funding for programming that treats depression in young adults (18-25) who have experienced four or more ACEs. Project activities will include bi-weekly group counseling sessions, weekly mindfulness classes, and a monthly organized outdoor activity led by a member of the population. This program will include health professionals, one licensed clinical therapist, and members of the target population as group leaders. The outcomes of this program will be to reduce depression symptoms by building emotional regulation skills, resiliency, trauma education, and strengthening social support. The efficacy of the program will be measured through pre and post-intervention survey methods.
The utilization of trauma-informed principles is crucial to providing effective trauma-informed care (SAMSHA, 2015). The principle of safety will be incorporated through the activity of group counseling where members will have a safe and therapeutic space created to process trauma and promote recovery and healing. The trustworthiness and transparency principle will primarily come from having five members of the population acting as leaders for the intervention. . The peer support and mutual self-help principle will be met by the group counseling sessions whereas members will be able to share alike stories with their peers and at the mindfulness skill-building classes where skills can be enhanced for individuals and their families. The collaboration and mutuality principle will be addressed by the member-led outing events whereas members can actively decide which activities they would like to host with their peers and have a hand in their treatment. The empowerment, voice, and choice principle will be addressed by having relevant trauma-informed training where the treatment team will decide which trainings are the most appropriate for the target population.
The social-ecological framework being utilized for this intervention is the CDC’s social-ecological model. The CDC model looks at four areas of social levels for a better understanding of risk factors and assessment of potential prevention strategies (CDC, 2022). This intervention will be addressing both the individual, relationship, and community levels of this model. At the individual level, through therapeutic services we are looking to build emotional regulation skills, self-efficacy, beliefs, and attitudes. At the relationship level, through group counseling sessions and family classes we are looking to strengthen peer and family relationships while providing education and changing norms associated with trauma and recovery. At the community level, the outdoor activities and events will reintroduce the safe and healing environment of nature and being surrounded by social support. Using this multi-level approach allows for effective programming and tactics at each level that will overlap and improve overall health at multiple social levels.
Utilizing the public health framework for this intervention’s design allows for the prevention and treatment of depression associated with ACEs and trauma because the public health framework addresses the social determinants of health that led to these conditions (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016). This program is based on the public health framework for the treatment of depression among individuals with four or more ACEs. For the most part, the project aligns with the tertiary prevention level since the primary target audience is young adults who experience reoccurring depression (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia,2016). The primary focus will be on the treatment of depression in the target population. The secondary focus of the project will be to prevent the reoccurring depression symptoms and individuals will fall into the secondary prevention level once their depression symptoms are in remission (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016). In addition, this project focuses on the importance of building strong social supports and the buffer that social connection has on stress and trauma as both a secondary and tertiary prevention level approach.
Resources
Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation,
and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (2016). Trauma
Informed Philanthropy: A Funder’s Resource Guide for Supporting Trauma-Informed
Practice in the Delaware Valley
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMSHA. (2015). Trauma-InformedApproach and Trauma-Specific Interventions. Retrieved from http://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/trauma-interventions
The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC. (2022b). CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/violencepr...ecologicalmodel.html
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