Connect

Partner(s): Susan Witte School of Social Work Released: TBA In development.

Connect is a couples-level intervention for heterosexual couples at risk for HIV/STIs developed by the Social Intervention Group at the School of Social Work. The intervention has been proven to reduce risky behaviors in committed heterosexual couples, the fastest growing HIV-infected group in the US. Principal Investigator Susan Witte and CCNMTL have received funding from the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) to test a multimedia version of the intervention against the paper version at 80 community-based organizations to measure levels of adoption of the intervention in its multimedia form. Multimedia Connect represents a significant step forward in effective dissemination, providing novice facilitators with a 'road map' as they go through the intervention with clients. In addition to use in clinical settings, components of Multimedia Connect are already in use in classrooms at the Columbia School of Social Work.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has also provided funding to develop multimedia training tools to translate the existing Connect intervention materials for national dissemination. CCNMTL and Witte have packaged the intervention manual and all training materials, including 22 original video assets that model communication techniques and provide information about STIs. The materials will be used both to train facilitators and for use with intervention participants.

This project is part of the Triangle Initiative.

Related categories: Social Work | Training

See also:

Download the informational page (PDF)

Watch Multimedia Connect at NME 2008

Visit the Multimedia Connect website