Dr. Isha W. Metzger
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
As Director of The EMPOWER Lab, Dr. Isha Metzger focuses on "Engaging Minorities in Prevention, Outreach, Wellness, Education, & Research" at Georgia State University. Within this context, The EMPOWER Lab aims to reduce mental health disparities through increasing engagement in mental health treatment, community outreach, education and training, and research focusing on the Black community. Specifically, Dr. Metzger is interested in improving mental health (anxiety, depression, PTSD) treatment outcomes for African American youth exposed to interpersonal and racial trauma.
African American youth are more likely to experience adversities including abuse, neglect, and racial trauma and discrimination. These youth also are less likely to initiate and engage in mental health treatment, and when they do, they are less likely to complete and to benefit from clinical interventions, and more likely to suffer disproportionate consequences of maladaptive adjustment. Conversely, there are protective processes that naturally occur within African American family that can be used to strengthen relationships, prevent abuse, combat the effects of racial stressors, improve engagement and outcomes in mental health services, and reduce risk for future engagement in risk behaviors.
Dr. Metzger’s research is aimed at preventing engagement in risky behaviors (e.g., sexual activity, alcohol use, delinquency) as well as understanding risk and resilience factors (e.g., trauma experiences, racial socialization and racial discrimination, family and peer relationships) that impact the relation between trauma exposure and problematic outcomes (e.g., STI/HIV exposure, unintended pregnancies). Dr. Metzger is also engaged in translational research including the conceptualization, implementation, dissemination, and evaluation of prevention programming aimed at reducing mental health and health disparities among African American youth.
Center for Family Research, University of Georgia
This funding will support the completion of two projects: the first is the Racial Healing C.A.R.E. (Coping And Resilience through Empowerment) Package a user-guided online platform for Black youth and families, and the second is TF-CBT+RS Web, an online tool that integrates racial socialization into cognitive behavioral therapy to support therapists serving Black children and families.
Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, Faculty Seed Grant Program, University of Georgia
This Seed Grant Funding will allow for video production, website development, and evaluation of the acceptability, feasibility, and initial promise of efficacy of the C.A.R.E Package for Racial Healing that focuses on Coping And Resilience through Empowerment.
Department of Health and Human Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Project NaviGAte targets two pervasive public health concerns, HIV and substance misuse among at-risk and underserved communities, specifically trauma-exposed racial/ethnic minorities. Project NaviGAte will provide much needed navigation services, develop a public health messaging and awareness campaign, and enhance HIV and substance misuse screening, prevention and treatment among trauma-exposed racial/ethnic minorities in 4 of the 48 federally-designated “hotspots” hardest hit by the HIV epidemic: Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties in GA.
National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
This study utilizes the input of topical experts, clinicians, youth, and caregivers in order to create a standardized cultural add-on for existing evidence-based cognitive-behavioral trauma treatments. Racial socialization will be integrated by clinicians both within (e.g., psychoeducation) and between (e.g., in-vivo, “in real life” assignments) sessions with African American youth and caregivers in order to improve engagement and decrease trauma sequelae (e.g., PTSD, HIV risk) for this population. Feasibility and acceptability of this cultural add-on will also be assessed in this study.
Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, University of Georgia
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health
Southern Regional Education Board
Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Translational and Prevention Science, University of Georgia
What others are saying about Dr. Metzger's research
Dr. Metzger works very hard in producing work and research that not only advances our understanding of racial discrimination in African American emerging adults but also engages our program in understanding the necessity of diversity. Dr. Metzger not only conducts research but ensures that the student body and the faculty are active consumers of diverse and important research topics.
What others are saying about Dr. Metzger's research
What others are saying about Dr. Metzger's research
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