Improving access to mental health services for underserved youth and their caregivers
Official title: The Caregiver-Informed Treatment Engagement (CITE) Program: a Pilot Trial of a Treatment Engagement Intervention for Historically Underserved Youth
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11032192 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is working to make it easier for young people of color to get the mental health support they need by creating a virtual program that involves their caregivers, helping families connect with services in a way that feels right for them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | February 21, 2025 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $242,795 |
| NIH project number | 1R34MH133617-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11032192 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are youth of color aged 0-11 years who have been referred to mental health services and their caregivers.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not fall within the age range of 0-11 years or who are not from historically underserved backgrounds may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on enhancing access to mental health services for youth of color who are often underserved. It aims to develop a virtual group intervention called the Caregiver-Informed Treatment Engagement (CITE) Program, which involves caregivers in the treatment process. By collaborating with community partners, the program seeks to create culturally sensitive strategies that address barriers to care. The goal is to empower caregivers and improve engagement in mental health services for children referred by primary care providers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly improve mental health service access and engagement for underserved youth and their families.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown success in using caregiver interventions to improve access to mental health services, making this approach promising yet still innovative.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Young, Andrea S — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Young, Andrea S
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Caregiver-led mobile tool to support healthy habits for kids treated for ALL
A caregiver-directed mobile program helps children who were treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia build healthier daily routines.
-
Biomechanical check of a caregiver transfer technique tool
This grant tests a quick, objective way to measure how well informal caregivers transfer a person, with the goal of reducing caregiver and care recipient injuries.
-
Negotiation training to help Alzheimer’s caregivers communicate with care teams
A program called NegotiAge helps families caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease learn better negotiation skills to talk with doctors, insurers, and other caregivers.
-
Improving prosthetic fitting in rural areas with remote limb scanning
A study tests whether a helper can remotely capture limb shape with affordable digital tools to create a well-fitting prosthetic socket, reducing travel for rural Veterans.
-
Autism Caregiver Coaching in Africa for Young Children
A Duke University-led project in South Africa aims to help young children with autism by training caregivers to deliver proven coaching strategies through non-specialist providers.
-
Harnessing caregiver coaching in early intervention to help young children with developmental delays
This grant tests whether coaching caregivers can help children under 3 with developmental delays get high-quality, frequent early intervention in their home environment.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.