Can I Help With That? Understanding First-Year College Students’ Goal Setting within a Peer Mentoring App

Conference: International Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ISRII)

Presentation Type: Poster

Authors: Emily Hersch, Alexandra Werntz, Yangyang Deng, Harun Gunasekaran, Jean Rhodes

About: This study examines the impact of goal setting within a peer mentoring app among first-year undergraduate students. Findings indicate that goal setting is associated with higher GPA, life satisfaction, and academic self-efficacy. The results suggest that online mentoring platforms incorporating goal setting can enhance the effectiveness of mentoring relationships and help colleges offer proactive support based on students’ real-time challenges and priorities.

 

Final Emily Hersch ISRII Poster

Mentor-Mentee Matching and Student Outcomes

Conference: Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience

Presentation Type: Presentation

Authors: Ramya Ramadurai, Megyn Jasman, Yangyang Deng, Alexandra Werntz, & Jean E. Rhodes,

About: Findings were presented on mentoring and student outcomes when mentors and mentees were matched based on different characteristics. Matching based on underrepresented minority status, first-generation status, and international student status predicted higher student GPA, however results varied across other demographic variables. Matching may be a valuable practice generally for promoting GPA.

 

FYE Conference slides

Degrees of Success: Best Practices and Innovations for Mentoring Underrepresented College Students

Conference: National Mentoring Summit 2024

Presentation Type: Workshop

Authors: Matthew Hagler, Sarah Schwartz, Jean Rhodes, Alexandra Werntz, Elizabeth Raposa, and Megyn Jasman

About: The workshop presented research demonstrating the challenges underrepresented students face in understanding colleges’ “hidden curriculum” and the key role mentors can play in demystifying it. Best practices and cutting-edge innovations in this area were highlighted, such as using mobile technology and youth-initiated mentoring strategies to facilitate mentee engagement and help-seeking.

 

2024 mentoring summit Hagler

 

 

Mentor Summit 2024_Schwartz

 

 

2024 mentoring summit Hagler RAPOSA

 

 

MENTOR Summit 2024

“Can you give me some tips about this?” Task-shifting and just-in-time training for camp counselors supporting camper mental health

Conference: 2023 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Conference.

Presentation Type: Poster

Authors: Monica Arkin, Rachel O. Rubin, & Robert P. Lubeznik-Warner

About: Task-shifting and just-in-time training for camp counselors supporting camper mental health.

 

ABCT_print

Social Networks & Trauma: The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mentoring Outcomes

Conference: 2023 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Conference.

Presentation Type: Poster

Authors: Saniya Soni, Emily Hersch, Cyanea Poon, Alexandra Werntz, Jean Rhodes

About: The relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and mentoring outcomes

 

ABCT Poster '23

“Not just fun and games”: Experiences of summer camp counselors supporting camper mental health

Conference: 2023 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference

Presentation Type: Poster

Authors: Monica Arkin, Rachel O. Rubin, & Robert P. Lubeznik-Warner

About: Experiences of summer camp counselors supporting camper mental health.

 

ISTSS

Examining College Student Engagement with a Peer Support App: Implications for Student Wellbeing

Conference: 2023 Society of Digital Mental Health Virtual Conference

Presentation Type: Poster

Authors: Emily Hersch, Saniya Soni, Megyn Jasman, Alexandra Werntz, and Jean Rhodes

About: This presentation examined whether student engagement with MentorPRO differed by race, first-generation, and international student status. We found that students from historically underrepresented and marginalized communities engaged more with their peer mentor and used a self-assessment more frequently than their White peers.

 

SDMH Flash Talk Final_EH

 

Research Proposal: Supportive Accountability for University Students’ Engagement with the Healthy Minds Meditation Application

Conference: Association for Psychological Science 2023 Conference

Presentation Type: Poster

Authors: Emily Hersch, Megyn Jasman, Jordan Cherry, Saniya Soni, Alexandra Werntz, and Jean Rhodes

About: In this poster, we propose an 8-week randomized controlled trial to test whether supportive accountability from a peer mentor will increase university students’ engagement with the Healthy Minds Meditation Application and lead to greater improvements in mindfulness-based skills compared to students who use Healthy Minds without supportive accountability.

 

Emily Hersch APS Poster Final

Implementation of a Technology-Enhanced Peer Mentor Referral System for First-Year University Students

Conference: Association for Psychological Science 2023 Conference

Presentation Type: Symposium

Authors: Megyn Jasman, Alexandra Werntz, and Jean Rhodes

About: During a symposium about leveraging technology and data to improve college and university communities’ wellbeing, a presentation was given on findings from the pilot year of MentorPRO. The full paper can be found here.

 

APS23 Presentation_Megyn_PDF

Bridging the Gap: Technology-Enhanced Peer Mentoring Programs

Conference: University Conference on Teaching and Learning (UCTLT) at the University of Massachusetts Boston

Presentation Type: Presentation

Authors: Saniya Soni, Megyn Jasman, Alexandra Werntz, and Jean Rhodes

About: This presentation covered how technology-enhanced peer mentoring programs can bridge gaps in college services. Findings were presented from a pilot study of a technology mentoring platform for freshman college students.

 

Bridging the Gap_ Technology-Enhanced Peer Mentoring Programs

Supporting Mentees with Anxiety ​Effective Strategies for Promoting Mental Health​

Conference: National Mentoring Summit 2023

Presentation Type: Workshop

Authors: Alexandra Werntz and Saniya Soni

About: This workshop worked to demystify anxiety and encouraged those in attendance to think critically about how mentoring programs can support our nation’s mental health.​

 

Werntz_Soni_MENTOR-supportingyouthanxiety

Lessons Learned: Providing Supportive Accountability to Individuals Enrolled in an Online Anxiety Intervention

Conference: 2021 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Conference. Theme: Promoting Cognitive and Behavioral Practice and Science in the Context of Public Health, Social Justice, Policy, Research, Practice, and Training.

Presentation Type: Symposium presentation

Authors: Alexandra Werntz. University of Virginia: Alexandra Silverman, Henry Behan, Suraj Patel, Miranda Beltzer, Mehdi O. Boukhechba, Laura Barnes, Bethany A. Teachman

About: This project has implications for providing supportive accountability for the use of online anxiety interventions. More specifically, the impacts of integrated coaching were examined with the MindTrails intervention for a sample of anxious adults.

 

Coaching lessons learned ABCT 2021