Harnessing the Science of Supportive Accountability

The enormous potential of apps like Headspace or Khan Academy and other goal-setting tools to bridge gaps in educational and mental health has been hampered by low engagement and high rates of non-completion.  When blended with  mentors who are trained to provide supportive accountability (e.g., regular check-ins, monitoring, encouraging, nudging, troubleshooting) these tools can produce dramatically larger effects. b

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  • Human support for digital mental health interventions: a promising approach February 28, 2023
    Werntz, A., Amado, S., Jasman, M., Ervin, A, & Rhodes, J. (2023). Providing human support for the use of digital mental health interventions: Systematic meta-review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25. https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e42864 Summarized by Megyn Jasman Notes of Interest: Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are popular because research has shown that many are effective. However, many […]
    Ariel Ervin
  • The impact of a technology-enhanced peer mentor referral system on college freshmen February 16, 2023
    Werntz, A., Jasman, M., Simeon, K., Gunasekaran, H., Yowell, C., & Rhodes, J. E. (2023). Implementation of a technology-enhanced peer mentor referral system for first-year university students. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00303-8 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest:  Although a college degree offers many benefits, evidence indicates that 30% of students drop […]
    Ariel Ervin
  • Mentoring + supportive accountability = game changer June 7, 2022
    Jean Rhodes
  • What lessons can be learned from a supportive accountability study on an online anxiety intervention? February 17, 2022
    Werntz, A., Silverman, A. L., Behan, H., Patel, S. K., Beltzer, M., Boukhechba, M. O., Barnes, L., & Teachman, B. A. (in press). Lessons learned: Providing supportive accountability in an online anxiety intervention. Behavior Therapy.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2021.12.002 Summarized by Ariel Ervin Notes of Interest: Although technology-delivered interventions (TDI) can help bridge the gap in seeking mental […]
    Ariel Ervin
  • Scaling supportive accountability and the future of mentoring relationships October 14, 2021
    By Julia Freeland Fisher, Christensen Institute Last spring, I had the chance to speak with Jean Rhodes, a leading researcher in the world of mentoring, and author of the book Older and Wiser: New Ideas for Youth Mentoring in the 21st Century. For schools managing yet another year of pandemic upheavals, Rhodes’ findings offer a […]
    Ariel Ervin
  • Getting to Carnegie Hall: Why practicing skills is a “best practice” in mentoring June 16, 2021
    by Jean Rhodes Chances are you’ve heard about the pedestrian on 57th Street who sees a musician getting out of a cab and asks, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Without pause, the musician replies “Practice.” Indeed, when it comes to any skill, from music and sports to academics and social-emotional learning, practice makes […]
    Jean Rhodes
  • Wait, what?!: Shorter, less intensive mentoring relationships can be just as effective May 6, 2021
    by Jean Rhodes I think we can all agree that a good working relationship is a necessary ingredient of all successful mentoring. It can provide a safe, supportive foundation for learning new skills and navigating challenging topics and tasks. In one mentoring program, for example, high school seniors who had expressed an interest in college, […]
    Jean Rhodes
  • Older and Wiser: New ideas for mentoring in the 21st Century June 25, 2020
    By Jean Rhodes Apologies for this bit of shameless self-promotion but my new book on youth mentoring, Older and Wiser: New ideas for Youth Mentoring (Harvard University Press) is now available for pre-order (out in August). This book is a synthesis and analysis of the research on youth mentoring, a topic to which I have […]
    Jean Rhodes
  • A match made in heaven?: Technology-delivered interventions and youth mentoring May 30, 2019
    by Jean Rhodes A few months ago, I wrote a column “There’s an App for That,” in which I described the promise of evidence-based mental and behavioral interventions that are delivered through smartphone Apps (and sometimes computers). An even deeper dive into this research has left me even more convinced of its promise. This is […]
    Jean Rhodes