Research in Action
Researchers at the Department of Psychology and the ASU REACH Institute have developed several evidence-based programs that focus on improving the lives of children and families. These programs are featured below.
Child Study Lab
Established by the Department of Psychology in 1972, the Child Study Lab (CSL) is a preschool community where children and families explore, create, learn and grow. Staff from other early education programs throughout Maricopa County also visit the CSL to study quality practices in early childhood education. We serve children ages 15 months to 5 years.
Clinical Psychology Center
Established in 1959 as an outpatient clinic and training facility for doctoral students in clinical psychology, the mission of the Clinical Psychology Center (CPC) is to provide outstanding service to our clients using evidence-based best practices. We are located in the University Center Bldg A, Suite 116 just east of Rural Road at 1100 E. University Drive, Tempe.
Family Check-up
The Family Check-Up (FCU) model is a family-centered intervention that promotes family management and addresses child and adolescent adjustment problems. The intervention model is adaptive and tailored to address the specific needs of each child and family, and can be integrated into a variety of service settings, including public schools, WIC, primary health care, and community mental health.
New Beginnings Program
The New Beginnings Program for Divorcing and Separating Families (NBP) teaches parents relationship-building and communication skills and helps them to employ effective discipline and keep children out of the middle of conflict between the parents. By supporting mothers and fathers in the use of these skills, the program helps children adjust positively to parental divorce or separation.
Resilient Parenting (Family Bereavement Program)
The Family Bereavement Program (FBP) is a 12-session program designed to promote effective parenting and teach useful coping skills following the death of a parent or caregiver. The program focuses on effective parenting because research has shown that the quality of parenting by the surviving parent/caregiver is one of the most powerful resources for helping children adjust positively to the death of a parent.
BRIDGES PROGRAM
Bridges brings students and parents together in a series of engaging, structured group meetings to affirm their commitment to educational success. It is a family-oriented program for middle school students and their parents and was designed to increase school engagement and achievement, strengthen family-school linkages, and prevent adolescents’ social, emotional, and behavioral problems.
COMPASS For Courage
Compass for Courage is a brief tier-2 social emotional learning curriculum designed for K-8 schools to support their students struggling with anxiety, worries, fear, or stress. COMPASS uses collaborative game-based learning to teach students research-backed strategies to manage worries, solve problems, build relationships, and face stressful situations with confidence. The six-lesson curriculum also has shown to improve grades and test scores, increase teacher instructional time, and reduce student out-of-classroom time (e.g., absences, nurse visits).
Positive Family Support
The Positive Family Support Program (PFS) is an evidence-based school intervention program designed to enhance a school’s tiered system of supports by promoting family-school relationships to foster student academic and behavioral health. PFS includes universal, selected, and individualized components, including an adaptation of the Family Check-Up model for implementation in schools. The program builds upon and enhances school’s current practices by adding a family component at each level of intervention.
Authentic Connections Groups
Authentic Connections Groups Program (ACG) Authentic Connections Groups (ACG) is a supportive, structured intervention, originally developed to reduce burnout and foster resilience among mothers contending with high, ongoing everyday stress.