Explore Our Work
Welcome to the IMPACT Lab, where we advance innovative solutions for substance use prevention, recovery, and justice reform. Discover our active research projects and collaborations that are shaping new possibilities.
Ongoing Research, Projects & Collaborations
Restorative Justice and the Community Justice Center (CJC)
🔗 Transforming Justice, Restoring Communities
We partner with the Community Justice Center (CJC) to explore restorative justice interventions (RJIs) that reduce recidivism and foster recovery.
Our Focus:
- Understanding how RJIs repair harm and support offenders, victims, and communities.
- Engaging in restorative workshops with offenders and community stakeholders.
- Investigating the psychological and social mechanisms that impact post-release outcomes.
Learn more about the Community Justice Center:
Visit their Website
Advanced Technology in Reinforcing Emotions and Affective Change
 (AT-REACH)
📱 Innovative Emotion Regulation Through Digital Platforms
The AT-REACH project integrates cutting-edge technology and psychological research to improve emotion regulation for individuals in community residential facilities (CRFs).
What We’re Doing:
- Developing a mobile-friendly ePlatform featuring animated avatars to enhance distress tolerance.
- Conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess its impact on relapse prevention and recovery.
- Leveraging ecological momentary assessment (EMA) tools to track real-time affective changes.
Supported by a multidisciplinary team, AT-REACH aims to provide just-in-time interventions that address barriers to sustained recovery.
Restorative Living Project
🌱 Reintegrating Through Restorative Practices
This groundbreaking initiative integrates restorative justice principles with psychological interventions for incarcerated individuals on work-release.
Key Features:
- Combines motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, and network therapy.
- Promotes restorative living by emphasizing accountability, community engagement, and value-driven behavior.
- Focuses on reducing recidivism, enhancing reintegration, and fostering prosocial behaviors through structured therapy sessions.
By addressing individual and systemic barriers, the Restorative Living Project creates pathways for meaningful reintegration and long-term desistance from criminal behavior.
Behavioral Risk Prevention in College Populations
🎓 Promoting Healthier Choices for Students
Our research focuses on understanding and mitigating behavioral risks associated with substance use among college students.
Areas of Exploration:
- Investigating the impact of drinking motives and identity stress on substance use outcomes.
- Developing tailored prevention programs to support healthier decision-making in academic environments.
Archival Data & Research Opportunities
📊 Building on a Legacy of Research
In addition to our current projects, we maintain a rich repository of longitudinal and cross-sectional data from past studies.
Opportunities for Lab Members:
- Access and analyze archival data to explore innovative research questions.
- Attend and present findings at professional conferences.
- Gain hands-on experience in grant writing and applying for external funding.
Our archival data supports diverse research avenues and fosters skill development for students and collaborators alike.
Get Involved
Curious about our projects or want to collaborate?
📩 Contact our team to learn more about our research, ongoing projects, and partnership opportunities.
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A few professional conferences attended by current and past lab members:
Research Society on Alcoholism
American Psychology-Law Society
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
American Psychological Association
Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction
Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy
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