How We Help

Community and Clinical Services

The Thrive Center, through our partnership with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, offers child, adolescent and family mental health care.

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Research, Implementation Science and Evaluation

The Thrive Center partners with organizations to conduct applied research and program evaluation using a community-based approach. Our work supports services in the D.C. area and globally, driving sustainable policy and practice changes through data-driven initiatives that include:

Health Justice Alliance
A medical-legal partnership between Georgetown University’s Law School and Medical Centers and MedStar Health. THRIVE Center faculty supports the research and evaluation work of the HJA, adding to the empirical literature about the effectiveness of the MLP model. A link to the HJA scholarship is available here .
Mothers Rising Home Visiting Program
Led by Mamatoto Village, THRIVE Center faculty partnered to conduct a mixed methods study of their Mothers Rising Home Visiting Program. This work culminated in a peer-reviewed paper that demonstrated a link to lower preterm delivery for their program participants. In addition, working with HJA, faculty co-led a systematic review of the literature linking housing and reproductive justice that informed a needs assessment report .
The Promoting Resilience and Mental Health in Educational Settings for Early Childhood (PROMISE) Program
Promoting Resilience and Mental Health in Educational Settings for Early Childhood (PROMISE) is a comprehensive program that includes family and workforce components designed to promote a culture of school-wide social emotional well-being for children, families and staff in early learning settings. The workforce components of PROMISE are being evaluated in a randomized clinical trial conducted in 28 Early Head Start centers in the District of Columbia. This University Head Start Partnership Grant is funded by the Administration for Children and Families Head Start University Partnership grant (#90YR0128).
Determining the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Effectiveness of the TeacherWISE Well-Being Intervention
The purpose of this project is to evaluate TeacherWISE , an online, asynchronous course that contains content and practices designed to promote adult psychological and professional well-being (Bostic et al., 2019). The content and practices in TeacherWISE are based on best-practice reviews, basic research, and the findings from impact studies testing interventions from the fields of positive psychology, cognitive-behavior therapy, adaptive coping, mindfulness and adult social-emotional learning (SEL). TeacherWISE is organized into eight modules that include didactic videos, informal personal assessments, reflective exercises, and health promotion practices.
Improving Mental Health Care Access and Outcomes for Black Families with Young Children by Integrating Peer-Led Parenting Groups into Early Learning Settings
The project is using empirically supported strategies that increase access to, and acceptability of, preventive mental health services including integrating services within early childhood education centers, utilizing peer support personnel for engagement and facilitation of services, and offering a culturally relevant intervention. Strengthening Family Coping Resources Peer to Peer (SFCR P2P) is a preventive, peer-led mental health intervention that assists families in strengthening healthy parenting practices and reducing parenting stress that was developed in partnership with Black families in the local area. By implementing SFCR P2P in early childhood education centers, we expect Black families will have greater access to a preventive intervention shown effective in improving developmental, relational, and mental health outcomes for Black parents and children. This work is funded by the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation Transformation of Mental Health Care Grant.
Racial Socialization and Racial Identity as Moderators in the Relationship Between Parents’ and Children’s Exposure to Racism and Children’s Mental Health
The longitudinal study is a strengths-based, translational research project that is examining sociocultural stressors and protective factors for Black families with young children. Black families with kindergarteners in the DC area will be interviewed annually regarding their experiences of racism, racial socialization, and the racial identity development of the child. This information will be used to inform strategies that are associated with Black children’s positive development. This longitudinal study is funded by the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS) KL2 Scholars Program.
Evaluating Georgetown’s Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Certificate
The School for Continuing Studies at Georgetown University’s Online Certificate in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health is a comprehensive program for professionals seeking to deepen their clinical knowledge and experience working with parents and young children. Participants have the opportunity to review, discuss, and synthesize cutting-edge materials and learn from luminaries in the infant mental health field. Three separate tracks of the certificate program are offered: clinical, consultation, and family leadership. The evaluation is designed to assess participant satisfaction and knowledge gained from participating in the course.

Two teachers read a book to young children circled on the floor before them

Technical Assistance

The Thrive Center leads in providing technical assistance through partnerships with complementary organizations.

Our technical assistance aims to improve systems, services, and outcomes for children, youth, adults, and families, including those with developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs.

View Available Technical Assistance Activities

Using an interdisciplinary approach, we focus on capacity building to drive sustainable policy and system changes locally, nationally, and internationally on activities that include:

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation supports the mental health of young children, their families, and staff through training, technical assistance, and resource development
The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Technical Assistance Center supports SAMHSA-funded grantees in their work to address the mental health needs of young children and families, build the infant and early childhood mental health workforce, and improve systems and policies that promote the well-being of young children, families and caregivers
The Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities advances self-determination among the diversity of people with developmental and other disabilities and their families, throughout the life course, and advocate for their full participation in all aspects of community life

Two young children play with a marble run toy in a classroom

Workforce Development, Education and Training

The Thrive Center trains a well-prepared workforce to support people with disabilities, special health care, and behavioral health needs, as well as those facing poverty, homelessness, or trauma. We serve state, tribal, and territorial leaders, students, service providers, and administrators locally and globally. Our educational programs develop future leaders and providers.

View Our Educational and Training Programs

Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology Doctoral and Social Work Training Program: This program includes three tracks: Outpatient Mental Health, School-Based Mental Health, Adult/Health Psychology.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program: This program aims to train critically conscious, family-centered, structurally competent, community-oriented, and culturally humble child and adolescent psychiatrist leaders, clinicians, and healers.
Online Certificate in Early Intervention: Build the skills and values needed to intervene effectively and support young children in a culturally competent, family-centric partnership.
Online Certificate in Early Childhood Mental Health: Deepen your clinical knowledge and experience working with parents and young children.
Online Certificate in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Learn approaches to promote mental health in the early childhood years and how to support young children’s mental health as a consultant.
Online Certificate in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Family Leadership: Learn how to sensitively and effectively interact with children and families as a community health worker or front-line peer support.

A woman presents her research while another looks on

Supporting Startups Through the Innovation Hub @Thrive

Through its Innovation Hub, the Thrive Center offers a three-month fellowship program that helps startups scale their impact. Free to attend (no investment; no equity), the fellowship does not include direct investment and is designed to support innovators in validating and proving their intervention model, developing their go-to-market plan, honing their pitch to customers and partners, and making introductions to key decision-makers in health systems, plans, payers and government organizations.

Learn more about the Innovation Hub@Thrive

Transforming Practice, Policy, and Perspectives