The Temple University Collaborative research focuses on the meaning and importance of community inclusion in the lives of those with serious mental health issues, and as a medical necessity.
It is our Mission to:
- Conduct rigorous research aimed at developing practical technologies for maximizing the community participation and independent living of individuals with psychiatric disabilities
- Work in partnership with all stakeholders, especially persons in recovery, to ensure that current research findings in this area are utilized in national, regional, and local behavioral health policies.
To achieve our mission, The Temple University Collaborative researchers focus on the meaning and importance of community inclusion in the lives of those with serious mental health issues, and as a medical necessity. We are interested in: the degree to which community inclusion does or does not characterize the day-to-day realities for people in recovery; the barriers that make genuine community inclusion, in one domain or another, difficult to achieve; and the effective public policy, program design, and practice interventions that constitute best practices in promoting community inclusion – as well as the strategies for improving the research technologies needed to address these issues adequately.
The Temple University Collaborative research agenda also relies heavily on a collaborative process. We seek to involve consumers and family members, researchers and policy makers, program managers and direct service practitioners, community members and academic researchers in all aspects of the research process: defining topics, framing methodologies appropriate to the topics, gathering reliable data, analyzing results, and translating these results into usable information, products, and policy recommendations for the field.
Can’t access an article that interests you? Please reach out to us at TUCollab@temple.edu.
Check out some of our current research projects!
These are divided based on our funding but are all ongoing research projects.
2023-2028 Rehabilitation Research Projects
- Creating Welcoming Faith Communities for Believers with Serious Mental Illnesses: Testing an Environmental, Behavior-Oriented Intervention: This study investigates the effectiveness of a behavior-based intervention aimed at increasing inclusion practices of leadership and members of faith communities towards individuals living with serious mental illnesses (SMI).
- Portraying Community Living and Participation at the Intersection of Race and Serious Mental Illness
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of “Taking Action” Planning for College Students with Serious Mental Illnesses
- Identifying the Role of Digital Participation in Community Living and Participation
- Worlds of Possibilities: An effectiveness and feasibility trial of a storytelling intervention to promote community participation
- Identifying Community Inclusion Indicators and Outcomes: A Research and Policy-Oriented Environmental Scan
Other Funded Projects
- PODS: A peer-delivered program aiming to increase community participation for adults with serious mental illness by building collective efficacy amongst small groups of individuals with similar participation interests.
- Community Navigators: Testing a Peer Intervention for Adults with Serious Mental Illnesses: This project will determine the efficacy of a peer-support intervention to navigate community opportunities. It also aims to increase participation among adults with SMI and to determine if participation in the intervention increases social connections and decreases loneliness.
- Diabetes
- DRRP: The Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP) explores the risk and protective factors of loneliness and social isolation among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). The objectives of this project are to identify the role of mattering in social isolation and loneliness, and to develop a novel intervention to enhance social connectedness and feelings of mattering.”
- ConnectionsRX: A 6-month distance-based/virtual intervention aimed at increasing community participation for young adults with a serious mental illness, ages 18-30.
- Getting out of the House (SWITCH): A 6-month intervention-based research study focused on increasing engagement in meaningful activities and community participation among adults (18 and older) living with serious mental illness.
- Rehabilitation Research and Training Center to improve community participation outcomes among transition-age youth with SMHC from marginalized backgrounds
- Community Participation Decision Making: Part 1 of this study is investigating the barriers and facilitators to decisions related to community participation among individuals with serious mental health conditions to inform a decision coaching manual for peer support specialists. Part 2 will pilot the intervention with the new manual.
2018-2024 Rehabilitation Research Projects
- Transportation: A peer-facilitated travel training program aimed at increasing community participation and transportation skills using public transit and bike-shares for adults with a serious mental illness.
- Parenting: A 10-week intervention program aimed at increasing meaningful family activities for parents with a serious mental illness.
- REACH: A randomized, controlled trial examining the effectiveness of an online, peer-delivered intervention designed around the goal of increasing engagement in meaningful activities in individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), with the intervention being delivered through weekly virtual meetings, recorded material, and homework assignments such as activity logging.
- Cognitive: A cross-sectional study investigating the personal and environmental factors that may impact community participation for individuals with serious mental health conditions.
Opportunities to Participate
Shown above, we have numerous ongoing studies! Please sign up for our listserv if you’re interested in:
- learning more about these studies
- participating in a study
- sharing information about studies with folks you support