In this one-semester PRP, students will work with one another and with key stakeholders to examine evidence-based policies and strategies that lead to enhanced mental health and well-being. Grounded in primary and secondary research, students will design policies and programs that reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors leading to mental well-being. This course will offer students the opportunity to develop new approaches to deliver and access mental health care in the State of Texas and at The University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on improving systems-of-care that will advance both access to mental health care and enhance mental well-being.
Numerous studies, including the recent Community Health Needs Assessment funded by St. David’s Foundation, have identified mental well-being as one of the top community issues in need of critical infrastructure and innovation. Moreover, research has demonstrated that there are three ingredients of happiness - pleasure, engagement, and meaning. This course will explore the foundation of happiness and why it matters through a policy lens. Students will integrate knowledge and data from multiple disciplines to create relevant deliverable(s) that may be useful to funders, policy makers, and practitioners.
Professor Springer draws on three decades of mental health practice, research, scholarship, and community service. He is currently working closely with a network of philanthropic and community leaders, nonprofit providers, and mental health advocates, which will serve to inform and guide the PRP.