CRATERS embeds evidence-based frameworks from: 

  • positive psychology
    • hope theory (Synder, 2002)
    • resiliency (Wong & Wong, 2013)
  • social support theory (House, 1981)
  • coping frameworks (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984)
  • crisis response (Cavaiola & Colford, 2018) 

 

Image of module 1 workbook page 1: what does it mean to not be okay journal activity.

CRATERS Module Development

  • Established Teen Working Group

    August 2022

    Teen working group was established with funding from the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health for a project related to educator capacity building. 

  • Summer 2023

    Teen working group began developing the curriculum for CRATERS. 

  • 4 teens standing in front of a white board, dressed casually

    Curriculum Development

    Fall 2023-Spring 2024

    Curriculum development and capacity building activities during Saturday working meetings at the College of Public Health. 

  • Feedback and Revisions

    Spring 2024

    Received feedback from Iowa teens and began revisions. 

  • Refining and Expansion

    Fall 2024

    Expanded working group to include expertise from middle school students, launched social media account, developed activity workbook, and piloted modules with teens to positive feedback and engagement.  

  • Sharing and Recruitment

    Spring 2025

    Shared process at the Public Health Conference of Iowa  and began recruitment for larger pilot after receipt of IRB approval. 

  • Began Recruiting for Pilot of Curriculum

    Summer 2025

    Currently recruiting teens from Iowa to engage in our curriculum.  

  • Awarded GCRU Fellowship

    September 2025

    Awarded GCRU Fellowship from UI Office for Undergraduate Research to support staffing our project. 

Module 1: It's Okay to Not Be Okay

  • What is Mental Health? ​

    • Define and Discuss​

  • Acknowledging Emotions ​

    • Feeling Wheel Activity ​

  • Mental Health Stigma​

    • STIGMA word recognition activity​

    • Case Study ​

    • Recommendations to Address Stigma​

  • What does it mean to be okay? ​

    • Reflections from Iowa Teens ​

    • Symptoms to Recognize when one is not okay

Poster that states Iowa teens are aspirational, Iowa teens need opportunities for growth, and Help Iowa teens by creating a communication space....

Module 2: Building Healthy Habits to Promote Hope and Resilience

  • What does health mean to you?​

    • Define and reflect​

  • What are healthy habits?​

    • Brainstorm and define ​

  • Self-reflection​

    • Discuss importance in the context of building healthy habits​

  • The power of hope​

    • Define, find connections between habits and hope, application activity​

  • MARS Framework for building healthy habits with case study activity ​

    • Motivation

    • Action

    • Resilience

    • Sustainability​

​

Module 3: Mental Health in Relationships

  • What is a relationship?​

    • Define and activity-based application​

  • What are different types of relationships?​​

  • Boundaries​

    • Define boundaries including how to set boundaries, 

    • ORBIT framework

      • Open communication 

      • Reciprocal

      • Boundaries 

      • Inclusion 

      • Techniques ​

  • Communication​

    • Define 

    • Describe process of communicating needs in a relationship​​

Module 4: How to Support Others

  • Social support​

    • Types of social support ​

  • Check-Ins​

    • Prevention and questions to consider​

  • Recognizing Signs and Symptoms​

    • What are they?​

  • Crisis Response​

    •  COME-T framework

      • Check-in 

      • Offer

      • Monitor 

      • Encourage

      • Transfer

Required Activities

  • Monthly Meetings
  • Curriculum Development
  • Strategic planning for implementation and evaluation
  • Participation/Implementation of integrated curriculum

Products

  • Intervention Curriculum & Implementation Guide, Digital and Print Materials

 

  • Pre- and post-test assessment data from intervention delivery with validated tools

Expected Outcomes

  • Content creation- prevention messaging; integrated curricula products (content and process) 
  • Increased Knowledge, Perceptions, Attitudes Self-efficacy, Coping skills, Positive outlook

Outcomes to Date

  • establishing and building capacity of a teen working group to engage in youth participatory action research
  • mobilizing and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students to gain knowledge and skills regarding youth participatory action research, intervention development, and implementation science
  • developing CRATERS module structure, training materials including slides and worksheets, and outlining facilitator guide

Overall Impact

Improved mental health of teens in Iowa 

2 teens standing, young woman and young man, looking at a whiteboard
Image of CRATERS high school board wroking collaboratively to develop content. Pictures include students working at white board.

"I think the most sadness I expierience especially as a highschooler is the fear of letting people down or the fear of people thinking I am not trying my best. I think as highschoolers sometimes we get worried that people don’t know that we are putting our best foot forward because of best try one day might be different from our best try another day because of what we are going through. I fear that people will think Im struggling and not give me opportunities as a result.- I get worried that instead of understanding me people will just to stop relying on me."

"I do not think that social media is beneficial to my mental health, so I don’t have instagram or TikTok. This is mostly a precaution because I am aware of the adolescent tendency to compare ourselves to the perfectly framed individuals in those pictures and videos. However, I do have Snapchat—I don’t really use it— because it is a better way to connect with the people that you want to have conversations with, or share little snippets of your lives that are not meant to be perfect."

"At the end of a long day, I think doing simple lifestyle tasks are what making me happy. Cleaning my room after a long day sometimes brings me joy, or filling my waterbottle. Sometimes I read or color. I definitely find joy in small but meaningful tasks however sometimes my mental health can bring me to a point where these don’t seem important."