By Angela Woodward
From Compass
Student success is at the heart of Ohio University’s mission, but one center on the Athens Campus is committed to ensuring that students are on a path to academic success long before they ever step foot on a college campus.
Within the Department of Psychology in Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Intervention Research in Schools (CIRS) holds as its mission research, training and service—all as a means to improve the lives of children and adolescents.
CIRS was founded in 2009 by Dr. Steven Evans, Professor of Psychology, and Dr. Julie Owens, Associate Professor of Psychology, who serve as the center’s co-directors. In 2012, the OHIO Board of Trustees passed a resolution officially making CIRS a University-sponsored center.
The center includes faculty, staff and students interested in improving the ability to help children and adolescents who are experiencing emotional and behavioral problems through school-based interventions and support systems. Its current research focuses on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other behavioral problems.
CIRS serves and collaborates with a growing number of constituencies, including:
- OHIO undergraduate students interested in psychology and graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in clinical child psychology
- Educators throughout Ohio and beyond who incorporate evidence-based techniques explored by the center into their curriculum
- Faculty in departments of psychology, education and medicine at universities across the country
- Children, adolescents and their families who benefit from the center’s research and programs
The center has seen significant success since its founding, attracting federal funding to support its research, expanding its partnerships to most recently include OHIO’s Patton College of Education, and increasing the number of community outreach programs.
Camp Boost Helps First- Through Seventh-Graders
One of those community outreach programs is about to launch its second year.
Camp Boost kicks off on July 21 and runs through Aug. 1. This two-week free summer camp is designed to help area first- through seventh-grade students get a jump-start on the school year while providing a fun, social and recreational environment.
According to Owens, Camp Boost is modeled after the Summer Treatment Program, a comprehensive intervention for children with ADHD and related disruptive behaviors. The Summer Treatment Program, which was developed by Dr. William E. Pelham Jr. and colleagues, is offered at various university and medical settings throughout the United States.
Camp Boost is Ohio University’s version of the Summer Treatment Program.
Read the entire article in Compass.
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