Third in our series for the Thought Spot summer workshops, here’s a little insight from the CAMH Education research team that’s leading the optimization project.
Who are you and what is your position at CAMH?
My name is Elisa Hollenberg and I am working at CAMH as a research analyst in Education Services.
What project are you currently involved with?
I’m working on the Thought Spot project. Thought Spot is an online website and mobile app designed to help transition-aged youth in the GTA identify mental health and wellness services, or “spots” in their geographical area.The app uses a holistic definition of wellness, and so the “spots” include a wide range of locations like campus health centres, specialized mental health or addiction services, peer support, social services, crisis information, public parks, libraries, yoga studios and more.
What is the goal of this project?
Work on the Thought Spot project currently has two goals:• In the first phase, from now until fall 2017, our goal is to optimize the Thought Spot website and mobile app through engaging in a co-design process with post-secondary students to identify features of Thought Spot that could be enhanced. We have a series of summer workshops and an advisory committee of students to launch the co-design process! (See our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/MyThoughtSpot/events)
• The second phase of the project, to begin in fall 2017, has the goal of testing and evaluating the impact of Thought Spot with students on university and college campuses within the GTA through a randomized control trial.
These two goals are being funded by a CIHR eHealth Innovations Partnership Program Grant.
Who is this project geared toward?
We hope the website and the mobile app will encourage post-secondary students and transition-aged youth in the GTA to look for, and access, any mental health and/or wellness services they are interested in exploring.Students who are enrolled in full-time or part-time studies at a Canadian university or college are invited to contact us to participate in improving Thought Spot through the summer workshops or to join the student advisory committee.
Where can someone get more information about your project?
You can contact me, at Elisa.Hollenberg@camh.ca for more information about getting involved.You can “like” us on our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
You can also visit our website at mythoughtspot.ca and/or download the Thought Spot app on Android or Apple devices.