Laboratory Name:

Life Skills Center

Institution:

Virginia Commonwealth University

Key Faculty:

Steven J. Danish, Ph.D. (Director)

Kristyn Hoy, MPH

William Lawson, B.S.

Alice Westerberg, B.S.

Sydney Brodeur, M.S.

Tanya Taylor, M.S.

Lisa Harmon, B.S.

Ian Wallace, M.S.

Elizabeth Fries, Ph.D.

Scott Daniels, Ph.D.

Contact:

Life Skills Center

Virginia Commonwealth University

800 West Franklin Street

Richmond, VA 23284-2018

1-888-572-1572

lifeskills@vcu.edu

http://www.lifeskills.vcu.edu

Research Overview:

Faculty and students associated with the Life Skills Center are involved in a broad range of programs that director Steve Danish says are designed to “develop, implement and evaluate life skill programs for children, adolescents and adults for the purpose of promoting health and enhancing personal development.”  The programs of the Center enable students to gain practical experience in applying sport psychology and performance enhancement skills. The programs also provide an opportunity for student and faculty to research the effectiveness of such programs. The research program of the Center has produced numerous publications as well as theses and disserations.

Ongoing programs include the GOAL program and the SUPER program. GOAL (Going for the Goal) was the 1996 winner of the Lela Rowland Prevention Award given by the National Mental Health Association. SUPER (Sports United to Promote Education and Recreation) teaches life skills to secondary school athletes. The Center has also been involved in the First Tee Program.

Although research is an important component of the Center’s program, one of its primary goals is practical application of life skills to prevention programs. “Prevention programs generally have as their goal to reduce the incidents of the various health-compromising behaviors by teaching what has become known as refusal skills,” adds Dr. Danish. “What research has shown is that prevention programs directed at youth, regardless of how effective these programs are, never totally eliminate youth's involvement in health-compromising behaviors.”

The Center’s programs allow faculty and students to combine academic research with practical application. In addition to the GOAL and SUPER programs, the Center has three ongoing health-oriented programs not specifically related to sport: (a) Goals for Health – a peer-led, interactive, 12-session program for middle school students that integrates health, cancer prevention, and life skills as a means to achieve both short and long-terms health and life goals; (b) BRIDGE: Bridging the Gap to Better Health – a  seven-session program directed at high school students with components designed to increase awareness of cancer risks and increase the knowledge and practice of behaviors designed to prevent or reduce the deleterious effects of cancer; and (c) LIFT (LIve Free of Tobacco) – a six-session, peer-led program designed to teach middle school students how to set goals that help them choose a tobacco-free life.

Recent Publications:

Danish, S. J., Taylor, T., & Fazio, R. (2003). Enhancing adolescent      development through sport and leisure. (pp. 92-108).In G.R. Adams & M. Berzonsky (Eds.), Blackwell Handbook on Adolescence.  Malden, MA: Blackwell.

Brunelle, J., Danish, S., & Fazio, R. (2002). The impact of a sport-based  community service project on adolescent volunteers’ prosocial views. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Danish, S., Fazio, R., Nellen, V., & Owens, S. (2002). Teaching life skills through sport: Community-based programs to enhance adolescent development. In J. L. Van Raalte, & B. W. Brewer (Eds.), Exploring Sport and Exercise Psychology (2^nd ed., pp.269-288). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Papacharisis, V., Goudas, M., Danish, S., & Theodorakis, Y. (2002).  The effects of life skill education for Greek school children. Submitted for publication.

O’Hearn, T. C., & Gatz, M. (2002). Going for the goal: Improving youth   problem solving skills through a school-based intervention. Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 281-303.

Danish, S. J., Brunelle, J., Fazio, R., & Hogan, C. (2001). The First Tee  National Youth Golf and Leadership Academy: Final report. Unpublished report prepared for the Pepsi Foundation.

Fries, E., Meyer, A., Danish, S., Stanton, C., Figueiredi, M., Green, S.,    Brunelle, J., & Buzzard, M. (2000). Cancer prevention in rural youth: Teaching goals for health, the pilot experience. Journal of Cancer Education, 15, 225-230.

O’Hearn, T. C., & Gatz, M. (1999). Evaluating a psychosocial competence program for urban adolescents. Journal of Primary Prevention, 20, 119-144.

Sport Psychology Lab Profiles