title: Establishing community partnerships to support late-life anxiety research: lessons learned from the Calmer Life project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article outlines the development of the Calmer Life project, a partnership established between researchers and faith-based and social service organizations to examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) incorporating religious/spiritual components for older African Americans in low-income communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The program was designed to bypass several barriers to delivery of CBT within the specified community; it allows multimodal delivery (in person or by telephone) that occurs outside traditional mental health settings through faith-based organizations and neighborhood community centers. It includes religion/spirituality as an element, dependent upon the preference of the participant, and is modular, so that people can select the skills they wish to learn. Established relationships within the community were built upon, and initial meetings were held in community settings, allowing feedback from community organizations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This ongoing program is functioning successfully and has strengthened relationships with community partners and facilitated increased availability of education and services in the community. The lessons learned in establishing these partnerships are outlined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The growth of effectiveness research for late-life anxiety treatments in underserved minority populations requires development of functional partnerships between academic institutions and community stakeholders, along with treatment modifications to effectively address barriers faced by these consumers. The Calmer Life project may serve as a model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA. jamesonjp@appstate.edu
authors.forename: John Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jameson
authors.forename: Srijana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Escamilla
authors.forename: Sharonda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunik
authors.forename: Darrell
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zeno
authors.forename: Toi B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Ivory L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Varner
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scantlebury
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scott-Gurnell
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stanley
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships; D012067:Religion; D012923:Social Class; D029181:Spirituality; D014481:United States