The Art and Science of Online Interventions for Children and Families Globally

Session Type: Professional Development Session

Abstract

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, child/family practitioners and researchers need digital intervention skills to continue their health promotion efforts under the constraints of our “new normal.” There is now a great need to learn best practices in designing, adapting, implementing, and evaluating successful online interventions, efforts that involve as much art as science. In this practical how-to session, attendees will be guided in creating online interventions and adapting face-to-face interventions into online formats. Moderators and panelists range from undergraduates to federally funded faculty from four applied research labs who will address key aspects of online interventions for diverse youth and families. Gillespie and Eckerstorfer will discuss the digitization (e.g., animation) of a face-to-face global health intervention for students in virtual Jamaican classrooms, then lead a storyboarding exercise for attendees to begin digitizing their own interventions. Wasil will describe the adaptation of an existing online youth intervention after COVID-19 outbreaks in India, culminating in an exercise encouraging attendees to adapt their own interventions for the pandemic. Simenec and Gewirtz will present effectiveness data on their multi-format intervention (online, telehealth, face-to-face) for U.S. military families, showing videos to compare in-person and digital delivery methods. Finally, Abdi will reflect on directing a diasporic online refugee youth intervention across countries, including how to facilitate effective cultural/cross-cultural communication in online interventions. Attendees will gain a new understanding of the art and science of globally relevant online interventions, a set of concrete skills, and access to online resources to hone these new capacities.

Sub Unit

• Professional Development Sessions

Session Organizers

• Gail M Ferguson, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Hopewell Hodges, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Participants

• Sarah Gillespie, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Sarah Eckerstorfer, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Akash Wasil, University of Pennsylvania

• Tori Simenec, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Abigail Gewirtz, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Saida M. Abdi, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities