Welcome to the Community-partnered School Mental health and Autism Lab!
Using mixed methods and community-based participatory action research, we aim to facilitate better access to quality mental health care and improve existing service delivery models to address service needs in underresourced communities.
Our goals are to:
Forge lasting partnerships with agencies, education systems, providers, and families in Mobile and the surrounding areas in an effort to improve access to mental health care for children and adolescents.
Develop innovative and scalable methods for integrating mental health care into school settings. This includes identifying barriers to care, examining individual and organizational factors that impact the uptake of evidence-based practices, and assessing the sustainability of these practices in existing service systems.
Integrate neurodiversity-affirming practices and self-determination theory into interventions for autistic youth.
Values
We aim to foster a supportive, encouraging, and empowering lab environment free of harassment, intimidation, exploitation, and discrimination. We are committed to enhancing equity through our research and clinical practice and strive to be inclusive and culturally affirming of all identities, including neurodiverse identities. In alignment with these values, we support a culture of mutual respect and accountability.
Mission
The COSMA Lab's mission is to collaborate with community members to design, test, and disseminate methods for improving access to quality mental health care.
Vision
Our vision is to facilitate a future where high-quality evidence-based mental health services are integrated into the myriad of settings that serve children and adolescents in a sustainable and feasible way.