Project SUCCESS has been a crucial support for our participants, offering interactive group sessions that have proven immensely popular among attendees. Here, we're sharing a few strategies that have contributed to maintaining consistent weekly attendance and retention across the entire group curriculum.
- Supportive Environment: Our sessions are facilitated by experienced professionals who create a supportive and non-judgmental atmosphere where participants feel comfortable expressing themselves. These facilitators also serve as individual treatment providers for many attendees, fostering a sense of familiarity and trust.
- Peer Connection: Participants can connect with others who share similar experiences, challenges, or aspirations. Building connections with peers who empathize with their journey is immensely validating and empowering. Some group participants also attend other groups in our program, which provide further opportunities for connection and mutual support.
- Skill-Building: Treatment sessions include activities, discussions, and exercises designed to help participants develop various skills. They get the opportunity to learn from others, gain new perspectives, and explore different ways of approaching challenges. Moreover, these skills are tangibly linked to individualized recovery goals, which helps participants see the value in practicing them.
- Outreach and Engagement: Regular reminder calls and emails from team members have played a key role in maintaining attendance. At our site, the research assistant (RA) is a dual role; in addition to coordinating study responsibilities, our RA is also involved in program-wide engagement, outreach, social programming, and individual recovery coaching. This creates a destigmatized treatment milieu and a larger sense of connection and community within our program that drives engagement in services overall. In addition, the RA can assist participants in addressing logistical barriers to participation, such as problem-solving issues related to benefits or transportation.
- Coordinated Social Group Scheduling: We host weekly social gatherings in person as it has been considered a valuable tool for individuals with SMI. To encourage participation in both the treatment and social groups, we have scheduled them to fall on the same day of the week. This fosters familiarity and friendships that positively impact engagement in the treatment group.
- Community Support Involvement: Consistent with the literature on SMI interventions, involving family members and other key supports in participants’ communities has been key in bolstering both the continued participation in treatment and the practice and generalization of techniques and skills taught in group sessions.
By implementing these strategies, we aim to continue providing a supportive and enriching environment for all participants, facilitating their journey towards recovery.
Kaksha Varma, M.B.B.S.
Assistant Coordinator Research
Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health
Nathan A. S. Frishberg, Ph.D.
Senior Psychologist
Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health