Psychology Fall Lecture Series: Digital Assessment, Research, and Treatment for Adolescent Behavioral and Mental Health

Bridget Nestor 

Title: Digital Assessment, Research, and Treatment for Adolescent Behavioral and Mental Health

Adolescence is a critical developmental period of biological, psychological, and social change, and in recent years, the mental health needs of adolescents have grown exponentially. Novel and innovative methods for assessment and treatment are critical for promoting adolescent well-being. Digital and mobile health solutions hold promise as time-sensitive and ecologically-valid measures of important functional, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes related to mental health, sleep, and substance use patterns in adolescents. Ultimately, these data collection methods can inform our implementation of smartphone-delivered just-in-time adaptive interventions for youth. This talk will explore underlying principles of these methodologies, as well as foundational and upcoming research in this area, with focus on understanding the effectiveness and feasibility of these methods for adolescent behavioral and mental health outcomes.

Bio: Bridget Nestor, PhD (she/her) is a post-doctoral fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, having earned her PhD in clinical science from Vanderbilt University in 2022. As a post-doctoral fellow, her research interests include studying how digital technologies can be leveraged to assess symptoms and to provide interventions for youth with behavioral and mental health disorders. She also is interested in how these technologies can increase access to care for diverse populations. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she also is interested in taking a biopsychosocial approach to provide evidence-based intervention to youth with wide-ranging internalizing and externalizing symptom presentations.