COVID-19 related stressors have caused an increase in people experiencing poor mental wellbeing. This increase in stress, coupled with pre-existing inequities, has limited mental health service availability and accessibility, leaving many unprotected. As a response, a family-strengthening program, previously used in Kenya to build resilience through strong family relationships, was adapted for virtual use and piloted in North Carolina. This adapted program is called Coping Together.

We seek to evaluate the implementation success of this program through assessing fidelity to intervention, facilitator clinical skills, acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of intervention. We developed short survey instruments to assess perceptions of acceptability, relevance and usefulness of the program. These surveys were taken by both family participants and program facilitators. We are currently in the process of collecting qualitative data through semi-structured interviews and focus groups to understand the experiences of families within the program and collect feedback on its design, content and implementation.