An overview of the STAND Coach Program*, a component of the STAND system of care, was published in the journal JMIR Mental Health on Jan. 26, 2022. Several DGC-affiliated researchers authored the paper, including Elizabeth Gong-Guy, PhD, founder of the STAND Coach Program, and Michelle Craske, PhD, creator of STAND and DGC co-director.
The paper outlines current gaps in knowledge concerning the quality of treatment delivery in existing paraprofessional or coach programs. The authors present the STAND Coach Program as a solution to the “tension between the scalability and fidelity” of mental health services, particularly services that rely on professionals like coaches to support the delivery of treatment modules. They posit that a treatment model that leverages a coaching program like the STAND Coach Program, in tandem with the digital delivery of evidence-based strategies like those in the STAND Content Library, offers a solution to address the growing need for mental health services, particularly in a university setting.
The paper also closely describes the design and implementation of the STAND Coach Program, highlighting strategies for assuring long-term fidelity among coaches, including application of learning principles (e.g., role-play exercises, mock sessions, independent review) and competency-based supervision before and after the coach certification process.
To read the full publication, visit the JMIR website.
Authors (all DGC-affiliated while conducting this research): Benjamin M Rosenberg, Tamar Kodish, Zachary D Cohen, Elizabeth Gong-Guy Michelle Craske
*The program mentioned in this article was formerly known as the STAND coaching program, and, prior to 2020, the Resilience Peer Network (RPN). It is now referred to as the STAND Coach Program. All mentions in this article reflect the updated name.
