Flannery Peterson, MPH, PMP
Director, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Alexandra Plante, MA
Director, Marketing & Communications
J’Neal Woods-Razaa
Project Manager, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Amanda Stark, MPH
Project Manager, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Pam Pietruszewski, MA
Senior Advisor, Practice Improvement & Consulting
William Sloyer, MSW, LSW
Project Coordinator, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Emma Hayes, MSW
Project Coordinator, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Teresa Halliday, MA
Senior Advisor, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Margaret Jaco Manecke, MSSW, PMP
Director, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Samantha Holcombe, MPH
Senior Director, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Stephanie Swanson, MPH
Project Manager, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Taslim van Hattum, LCSW, MPH
Senior Director, Practice Improvement & Consulting
Laszlo Jaress, MA
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Tawny Burgess
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Dr. Loretta Jackson Brown, PhD, MSN, BSN, CNN
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Overdose Prevention
Diakima Y. Thomas-Davis, PhD, MPH
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Overdose Prevention
Parris Lloyd, MPH
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Overdose Prevention
Brooke Hoots, PhD, MSPH
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Overdose Prevention
Andrew Terranella, MD, MPH
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Overdose Prevention
Douglas R. Roehler, PhD, MPH
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Overdose Prevention
Kristin M. Holland, PhD, MPH
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Overdose Prevention
To learn more about the impact of COVID-19 on youth substance use, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in partnership with Lake Research Partners and Metropolitan Group, conducted national online assessments, discussion groups, key informant interviews, and an expert advisory group of youth and youth-serving advisors in 2021 and 2022.
View the Findings ReportIn 2021, Getting Candid project staff recruited a group of youth ages 15-18 to inform the development and dissemination of the project’s resources. Over the three-year project, 16 youths provided insight into campaign direction, supporting material development and sharing their experiences as young people.
Are you a youth-serving professional looking to host your own Youth Ambassador Program? Read our resource on the lessons we learned.
View NowThe National Council for Mental Wellbeing, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), created this message guide and toolkit to support youth-serving providers in their efforts to prevent youth substance use. When developing these tools, the following activities helped ensure alignment with existing research and evidence and guidance from providers, youth and experts in the field.
The National Council is grateful to the more than 2,000 youth-serving providers and youth whose insights have informed the content of the Getting Candid: Framing the Conversation Around Youth Substance Use Prevention Message Guide and Toolkit.
November 2020–January 2021
A literature review and environmental scan was conducted of data related to epidemiology and etiology of youth substance use and substance use disorder(s), youth substance use prevention and cessation campaigns and communications.
December 2020–January 2021
Ten key informant discussions took place with 22 experts in youth substance use prevention, including high school students, researchers, program directors/managers and youth-serving providers from a federal agency, non-profit organizations and public and private schools.
March–June 2021, July 2022
Three rounds of virtual discussion groups were conducted to further inform messaging and resources within the toolkit. The first explored mesage themes and framing with two groups of youth aged 13-18 (n=19) and three groups of providers (n=20) during March and April 2021. The second round, in June 2021, supported further message refinements based on results of the second online assessment and included two groups of youth aged 13-18 (n=15). The third round consisted of two virtual discussion groups with youth ages 13-18 (n=22) to explore results from the third needs assessment to learn more about youth attitudes and beliefs about substance use and inform the creation of substance specific messages.
December 2020–May 2021
The National Council convened an expert advisory group of 13 youth, youth-serving providers, researchers and health communication experts. An orientation to the project was held in January 2021 and two subsequent convenings in February and May 2021 involved sharing learnings from the online assessments and virtual discussion groups. The convenings also sought input from expert advisors on available and existing resources, as well as gaps in resources and provider knowledge and opportunities to inform and revise the message guide and toolkit materials.
Journal of Adolescent Health
This report summarizes the work conducted by the Getting Candid team and illustrates the value of the Message Guide and Toolkit for youth-serving providers and youth. It also includes links to a comprehensive set of resources and shares recommendations on next steps for youth-serving providers.
View the Impact ReportThis project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,500,000 with 100% funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.