Our Do More, Feel Better team (PI: Dr. Sirey, research coordinator: Dr. Rollandi, RA: Victoria)'s article about delivering mental health services in NYC has been published in Behavioral Health News!
Many people assume that depression is a normal part of aging, but with community programs like Do More, Feel Better, it is actually treatable. Our team aims to reduce stigma and barriers faced by many older members of the community, thus reaching more potential clients in the process.
Working with our colleagues in Seattle and Tampa, we offer a brief therapy involving Behavioral Activation (BA) in English and Spanish, which is delivered by either a social worker or a trained lay volunteer to adults 60 years and older with sad moods or lack of enjoyment in usual activities. It is designed to expand the workforce of individuals who can offer care to older adults (Raue et al., 2022).
We have a high potential for sustainability by making use of the existing national volunteer resources: according to a recent New York State Aging report, there are nearly one million volunteers aged 55 and older in New York State providing over 495 million hours of service at an economic value of $13.8 billion annually (NYSOFA, 2023). As the next step, we will be launching a program to sustain the “Do More, Feel Better” at senior centers. Senior centers will take over the training of volunteer coaches and oversight of the program.