Current Projects
School-Based SBIRT: Implementation with School-Based Mental Health Personnel
Adolescent substance use is a national health concern with limited school-based interventions to provide treatment. Dissemination of evidence-based interventions, such as SBIRT, is critical in preventing negative outcomes such as school dropout, suicide, juvenile justice involvement, and high costs associated with adolescent substance use. There are significant barriers to receiving treatment including not knowing where to go for help, transportation, and service costs. Research on interventions to reduce substance use is sparse and important questions regarding the provision of SBIRT in schools by school-based mental health professionals remains unanswered. This project seeks to accomplish the following: 1) develop an adapted standardized SBIRT training and delivery protocol for school-based mental health professionals, and 2) conduct a feasibility study of the adapted SBIRT process. This project is funded by a NIDA R25 grant received by the University of California, San Francisco through the Learning for Early Careers in Addiction and Diversity Program.

Statewide Child Monitoring System: Coordinating Community Mental Health and Substance Use Interventions
This project seeks to develop a statewide child monitoring system that assists in coordinating community mental health and substance use interventions for adolescents. This project is supported by the Yale Innovation to Impact program funded by a NIDA R25 grant received by Yale University.

Completed Projects
Barriers and Facilitators to School-Based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
This project, funded by the University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science and the National Institute on Drug Abuse focused on identifying the facilitators and barriers to school-based SBIRT. Using qualitative methods, focus groups and interviews were conducted with school and community mental health stakeholders to gather their perspectives on school-based SBIRT. This implementation science study sets the stage for additional research examining SBIRT implementation in schools.


Mindfulness as an Intervention for Substance Users with High Levels of Negative Urgency
This project funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse examined the effectiveness of targeted interventions for emerging adult drug abuse. Different profiles of impulsiveness are related to different profiles of drug abuse. The present study examined targeted interventions for a specific trait of impulsivity: negative urgency. Specifically, negative urgency has been found to respond well to mindfulness interventions. The research sought to examine if a mindfulness intervention would be more effective than psychoeducation for those with high levels of negative urgency.

Select Publications

* denotes student collaboration 
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Fisher, S., Zapolski, T.B., Lee, K., Arora, P.G., & Barnes-Najor, J. (Accepted). Examination of the Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure in a Diverse Sample of Adolescents. Journal of Adolescence. 

Arora, P., Wheeler, L., Fisher, S, & Barnes-Najor, J. (Accepted). A longitudinal examination of peer victimization on depressive symptoms among Asian American school-aged youth. School Mental Health. 

 Fisher, S., Hsu, W., Adams, Z., *Arsenault, C., Milich, R. (In Press). The effect of impulsivity and drinking motives on alcohol outcomes in college students: A 3-year longitudinal analysis.  Journal of American College Health

 *Fisher, A., Fisher, S., Jacob, R., Arsenault, C., & Barnes-Najor, J. (In Press) The Protective role of ethnic identity on the relationship between school climate and self-esteem for African American adolescents.  School Psychology Review.

 Fisher, S., Wheeler, L.A., Arora, P.G., Chaudry, J*., & Barnes-Najor, J. (2019).  Ethnic Identity and Substance use in Multiracial Youth: The Moderating Role of Support Networks.  Substance Use Misuse, 54 (9), 1417-1428.

Zapolski, T., *Beutich, M.T., Fisher, S., & Barnes-Najor, J. (2019).  Collective ethnic-racial identity and health outcomes among African American youth: Examination of promotive and protective effects.  Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 25(3), 388-396. 

*Fisher, S., Zapolski, T., Al-Uqdah, S., Stevens-Watkins, D., *Sheehan, C., & Barnes, J. (2019).  Person-environment fit, substance use attitudes, and early adolescent substance use.  Substance Use Misuse, 54 (4), 628-638.

 *Arsenault, C., Fisher, S., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2018). The indirect effect of ethnic identity on marijuana use through school engagement: An African American high school sample.  Substance Use Misuse, 53 (9), 1444-1453.

 Zapolski, T., *Rowe, A., Fisher, S., Barnes-Najor, J. (2018). Peer victimization and substance use: understanding the indirect effect of depressive symptomatology. Addictive Behaviors, 160-166.

Arora, P.G., Wheeler, L., Fisher, S., Barnes-Najor, J. (2017).  A prospective examination of anxiety as a predictor of depressive symptoms among Asian American early adolescent youth: The role of parent, peer, and teacher support and school engagement. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 23(4), 541-550.

Malone, C., Fisher, S., Al-Uqdah, S. (2017).  Exploring School Psychologists’ Preparation for Multicultural Supervision.  Trainers Forum, 34 (3) 62-74. 
Graybill, E., Baker, C.N., Cloth, A., Fisher, S., & Nastasi, B.K. (2017).  An analysis of social justice research in school psychology.  International Journal of School and Educational Psychology.

Fisher, S., Zapolski, T., *Sheehan, C., & Barnes-Najor, J. (2017). Pathway of protection: ethnic identity, self-esteem, and substance use among multiracial youth. Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.03.003 

Tyler, K.M., *Thompson, F.A., Gay, D.E., Burris, J., Lloyd, H., & Fisher, S. (2016). Internalized stereotypes and academic self-handicapping among Black American male high school students. Negro Educational Review, 1-4, 5-32. 

Zapolski, T.C.B., Fisher, S., *Banks, D., Hensel, D., & Barnes-Najor, J. (2016). Examining the protective effect of ethnic identity on drug attitudes and use among a diverse youth population. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1-14. 

*Knighton, J., Stevens-Watkins, D., Oser, C., Fisher, S., Crowell, C. Leukefeld, C. (2016).  Perceived risk of HIV infection among drug-using African American male prisoners: one year after community re-entry.  Substance Use and Misuse, 51 (12), 1610-1618.

 Stevens-Watkins, D., *Knighton, J., Allen, K., Fisher, S., Crowell, C., Mahaffey, C., Leukefeld, C., Oser, C. (2016). John Henryism active coping as Cultural correlates of treatment participation among drug-using African American women. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 63, 54-60.

Zapolski, T., Fisher, S., & Hsu, W. (2016).  What can parents do? Examining the role of parental support on the negative relationship between racial discrimination, depression, and drug use among African American youth.  Clinical Psychological Science, 4(4).

Al’Uqdah, S. N., Fisher, S., Malone, C., McGee, T., & Toldson, I. (2015). Impact of community violence on parenting behaviors, parents’ mental health functioning, and associated child outcomes. Journal of Negro Education, 84, 428-441. 

Malone, C.M., Briggs, C., Ricks, E., Middleton, K., & Fisher, S., Connell, J. (2015).  Development and Initial Examination of the School Psychology Multicultural Competence Scale. Contemporary School Psychology 1-10.

Fisher, S., Reynolds, J., & *Sheehan, C. (2015). The Protective Effects of Adaptability, Study Skills, and Social Skills on Externalizing Students’ Teacher Relationships. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 24(2). DOI: 10.1177/1063426615598767 

Fisher, S., Middleton, K., Ricks, E., Malone, C., & Barnes, J (2015). Not Just Black and White:  peer victimization and the intersectionality of school diversity and race. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(6).  

Fisher, S., Reynolds, J., Hsu, W., Barnes-Najor, J., & Tyler, K. (2014).  Examining Multiracial Youth in Context: Ethnic Identity and Mental Health Outcomes.  Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43 (10), 1688-1699. doi: 10.1007/s10964-014-0163-2

Reynolds, J., Fisher, S. (2014). Multiple Consultee Consultation to Modify Behaviors in a Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Contemporary School Psychology, 1-8. Doi 10.1007/s40688-014-0017-7 

Reynolds, J., Fisher, S., Morlock, L. (2014). SLD Eligibility Decisions:  A Survey of School Psychology Training Programs. Trainers’ Forum, 33 (1), 48-65.

Morlock, L., Reynolds, J.L., Grant-Fisher, S. (2014).  Video Modeling and word identification in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 31 (1). Doi: 10.1177/0265659013517573

Middleton, K., Wright, P., Grant, S., Ricks, E. (2013).  Mathematics Learning Styles, Attitudes, and Relatability. Institute for Learning Styles Journal, 1. 1-15. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202013%20Vol%201%20PDFs/Fall%202013%20ILSRJ%20Issue.pdf 

Grant, S., Oka, E., & Baker, J.A. (2009).  The culturally relevant assessment of ebonics speaking youth.  Journal of Applied School Psychology, 25 (2), 113-127. Doi: 10.1080/15377900802484588
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 Baker, J.A., Grant, S., & Morlock, L. (2008). The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing or externalizing behavior problems.  School Psychology Quarterly, 23 (1), 3-15. Doi: 10.1037/1045-3830.23.1.3