Community-Academic Research Endeavor

Partnering with communities to improve youth mental health

The CARE Lab is run by Dr. Maya Boustani at Loma Linda University. The goal of The CARE Lab is to develop academic-research collaborations to reduce mental health disparities for vulnerable youth and families. The research rests on three principles (a) prioritize research-practice partnerships in the design and delivery of services; (b) identify low-cost ways to disseminate evidence-based practices in communities of need, using indigenous resources; and (c) attend closely to workforce and organizational factors that support feasibility, effective implementation, and sustainability of evidence based practice.
About Us image

Maya Mroué Boustani, PhD

Lab Director, Assistant Professor

Shayna Greenberg

Lab Manager, PhD Student

James Hodgins

PhD Student

Lennisha Pinckney

PhD Student

Jennifer Navarro

PhD Student

Julia Sanchez

PsyD Student

Emma Franklin

PsyD Student

Evin-Nazya Musgrove

PsyD Student

Caitlyn Bautista

PsyD Student

Gabriela Bagnara

PsyD Student

Jaynish Hazari

PsyD Student

Kelly Vogel

PsyD Student

Chalita Antommarchi

PsyD Student

Hannah Jutzy

PhD Student

Diana Marin

PhD Student

Talia Banayan

PsyD Student

Savannah Bachar

PsyD Student

Erica Mazzone

PhD Student

Veronica Nakla

PhD Student

Dina Bashoura

PsyD Student

Chris Blank

PsyD Student

Colin Mahler

PsyD Student

Stacy Frazier, PhD

Professor, Florida International University

Dr. Stacy Frazier is a co-PI on our Problem-Solving Skills Training project and a long-term collaborator.

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Christine Lisetti, PhD

Professor, Florida International University

Dr. Lisetti is the PI of the eEVA project. Our team has supported the health outcomes portion of this study.

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Sigrid Burruss, MD

Surgeon, Loma Linda University

Dr. Buruss is the co-PI on our GRASP grant to evaluate and revamp the YASP program.

Daniel Michelson, PhD

Clinical Senior Lecturer, King’s College London, UK

Dr. Boustani is providing support on Dr. Michelson's problem-solving grant.

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Leslie Rith-Najarian, PhD

Lecturer, University of California Los Angeles

Dr. Rith-Najarian is the stats consultant on our problem-solving skills training NIH grant.

Thomas Engell, Phd

Researcher

Dr, Engell is the coding consultant on our Problem-Solving Skills Training grant.

PROJECT eEVA

PROJECT eEVA

This project investigates human-computer interactions with a virtual health agent delivering Motivational Interviewing.

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PROJECT YASP

PROJECT YASP

The purpose of this study is to determine if the Youth Alternative Solutions Program is effective at reducing incarcerations and hospital admissions related to substance use.

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PROJECT SOARing

PROJECT SOARing

The School-Based Opportunities for Adolescent Recovery (SOARing) study examines the preliminary effectiveness of an adolescent DBT-skills group treatment delivered in a school-based setting.

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PROJECT CHWs

PROJECT CHWs

The CHWs project aims to reduce burnout among Community Health Workers providing home visits to under-served families of children experiencing chronic absenteeism from school in San Bernardino.

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PROJECT PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS TRAINING (PSST)

PROJECT PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS TRAINING (PSST)

This project proposes to unpack Problem-Solving as a complex skill set to reduce risk for internalizing problems for young people.

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Project MATCH

Project MATCH

Project MATCH involves the implementation of a modular and transdiagnostic intervention for children called "MATCH" in two settings: integrated healthcare and school-based. Outcomes of interest include implementation outcomes and youth mental health outcomes. This project is funded by the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative.

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San Bernardino City Unified School District

We are excited to be partnering with the San Bernardino City Unified School District on mental health and wellness initiatives.

SAC Health

We are partnering with SAC Health on implementing evidence-based mental health treatment for children and youth.

Interested Students image
Thank you for your interest in joining the CARE lab. Although we would love to take in all students interested in our work, we have limited slots (vary year to year based on Dr. Boustani's other obligations). You may be able to participate in one of our research studies by helping with data collection, analysis or other tasks without necessarily having your dissertation chaired by Dr. Boustani. Please discuss these options with Dr. Boustani directly.

If you are interested in joining the lab, please consider the following steps: 

Fall and Winter of your first year:
  • Email Dr. Boustani a copy of your CV, your transcript, and a cover letter explaining why you are interested in working in the lab and what project you are interested in working on (see a list of projects here: https://www.thecarelabllu.com/research-projects). If you are interested in an independent project, please make the case in your cover letter about how it fits with the lab's mission and Dr. Boustani's areas of expertise. 
  • Attend a CARE lab meeting. If your schedule prevents that, please arrange to watch a recording of one of our meetings.
Dr. Boustani will let you know of acceptance into the lab by Spring of your first year (at the latest).

If you join the lab, you agree to the following:
  • Attend weekly lab meetings
  • Donate 5 to 10 hours per week to data collection  / data analysis of various ongoing projects
  • Develop a research project (doc project or dissertation) that is related to an ongoing study in the lab in part or in whole (I recommend that PsyDs pick to use data from an ongoing study)
  • Discuss with Dr. Boustani before volunteering your time in any other work (working in another lab, TAship, supplemental practicum experiences or even work outside the lab )
  • Follow timelines for doctoral project completion, as outlined by Dr. Boustani
Our lab handbook is available here
Assessment Center: The assessment batteries  ask questions about the most common psychological disorders. Upon the completion of the questionnaire, you will get your results and additional resources. You will also get the option to download a PDF of your results, which may be helpful for consulting a clinician or for your own documentation.

Effective Child Therapy: Information about accessing evidence-based therapies, the most common psychological disorders in children and more.

MyndHealth: Skill-building to promote mental wellness.

Other Resources:

A Guide to Teletherapy

Never Give Up: A Complex Trauma Film by Youth for Youth

How to Deal with Anxiety 

Guided Meditations

Child Relaxation Scripts

Resources for Youth Wellbeing
Community Resources  image
RACIAL JUSTICE* image
This page is regularly updated and includes resources related to racial justice that are applicable to children and adolescent mental health:

Coping with Racial Trauma (University of Georgia)