Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Distance-based mental health interventions are viable approaches to disseminating health interventions to remote and rural communities (McGrath et al., 2011). The Truth and Reconciliation Report (2015) has documented the need for culturally relevant parenting programs within First Nations communities. First Nations families have requested parenting supports that meet their unique challenges, often within remote and rural communities (Toombs et al., 2018). Strongest Families™ (McGrath et al., 2011) is a distance-based parenting intervention that is administered online or with a manual mailed to participants, delivered with telephone support by a paraprofessional coach. This program has been modified by a First Nations research advisory group to better meet the needs of First Nations families. The current presentation will review the merits of distance-therapy approaches through an examination of a feasibility and usability study of the Strongest Families™ parenting intervention delivered to Indigenous families. Strengths and barriers of participation and implementation of two distance-based treatment modalities will be explored. Ongoing considerations for future development and potential research of distance-interventions for Indigenous communities will be discussed.