This is an active, federally funded 5-year statewide suicide prevention grant. The FL-LEADS project is a statewide initiative designed to transform and improve suicide care practices, standards, and outcomes through a multi-system and interconnected approach incorporating Zero Suicide. ​

Included aims: 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, and 16

Learn more about FL-LEADS here 

Current Status: Project Ongoing (Year 4/5)

FL-SMARTS is a federally funded grant with an innovative prevention model that will facilitate youth suicide prevention and early intervention strategies through a multi-system and interconnected approach across multiple delivery systems of care including middle and high schools and community behavioral health agencies. ​

Included aims: 1, 2, 3, 4/9, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, and 16

Current Status: Project Ongoing (Year 3/5)

SUPERBLY is an internally funded 18 month grant through the USF College of Public Health. SUPERBLY is a community-based participatory research project with an overarching goal of using literature and data from national and state public health surveys and databases as a foundation to conduct focus groups, interviews, and photovoice with youth in Hillsborough County, FL (ages 10-19). We anticipate the discovery of new risk and protective factors, which will allow us to decrease suicide ideology, attempts, and deaths among youth populations most at risk for suicide based on data from the last 2 decades.

Included aims: 10 & 16

Current Status: Analyzing Data from Pilot Study and Writing Manuscripts

This study aims to develop and refine observational measures of therapeutic alliance, engagement interventions, and treatment participation to conduct an initial evaluation of the contribution of engagement and alliance to treatment participation, continuation, and outcome. Currently, most of the therapeutic alliance literature has focused on adults, and the principles of adolescent alliance were taken from adult findings. This study identifies the need for a measure of adolescent and child alliance that considers developmental changes unique to younger individuals.

Aims included: 12 & 13

Current Status: Ongoing Data Collection & Development of Observational Coding System

This study aims to identify session-by-session therapeutic alliance patterns and potentially therapist alliance-enhancing interventions as well as explore their relationship to treatment outcomes in a youth sample through utilizing macro-coding of therapeutic alliance indicators from taped therapy sessions with depressed adolescents in behavioral therapy

Aims included: 12 & 13

Current Status: Finishing Coding/Data Entry and Beginning Data Analysis

This study aims to identify specific information relevant to suicide prevention for Spanish-speaking families and develop a research-informed guide to educate Spanish-speaking families on available suicide prevention resources/information.

Aims Included: 4 & 10

Current Status: Finishing Focus Groups

We are conducting a meta-analysis of suicide risk assessment instruments targeted for youth and adolescents. With growing research towards suicide risk, prevention, and treatment since the last literature review in 2000, there are an increasing amount of instruments to identify and position within the existing literature. Our purpose in a meta-analysis is to systematically evaluate the existing measures, drawing from individual study results for a whole picture. Our primary research questions in this review include addressing the psychometric properties of existing instruments and their clinical utility.  

Aims Included: 7

Current Status: Screening and Coding Articles