Supportive Accountability in Mental-health Mentoring of Youth (SAMMY)

We are collaborating with Jean Rhodes (UMass Boston) and Liz Raposa (Fordham University) to develop and test a mental health promotion program that integrates supportive accountability and skills practice into mentoring relationships, both face-to-face and through a newly developed app that connects to other wellbeing-promoting apps like Headspace, SuperBetter, and Intellicare. Due to the lack of user engagement common among many mental health apps, this team has designed and developed a novel smartphone app (MentorHub) that leverages the support and trust that mentors traditionally build with their mentees to incorporate intentional skill building and accountability to help build youth resilience. This app provides the platform for mentors and mentees to check-in, review progress towards goals, and encourage continued app use. We are currently conducting a feasibility trial and will later follow-up with a full program evaluation to test the efficacy of this program in improving youth mental health among matches within Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Friends of the Children.