LSU Assistant Professor Jennifer Scott and Together Baton Rouge: Improving Support for Mental Health in Our Community

 

Dr. Jennifer Scott, an Assistant Professor at the LSU School of Social Work, is leading a groundbreaking initiative to address

disaster-related mental health burdens in East Baton Rouge Parish. Partnering with the community organization Together Baton Rouge (TBR), Dr. Scott’s research focuses on strengthening mental health support systems through a Community-Based Participatory Research study. This initiative, funded by a $999,992 grant from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, aims to implement and assess the effectiveness of Communities Organizing for Power through Empathy (COPE), a brief group mental health intervention.

The idea for this project emerged in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when Dr. Scott was in close communication with faith-based and secular organizations within TBR. Community leaders voiced concerns about the increasing isolation, stress, and mental health crises among their members. In response, structured meetings were held to gauge the community’s mental health needs. Pastors and congregation members shared distressing stories of struggling individuals who felt their only option was to call 911 during mental health crises.

Dr. Scott recalled a mental health intervention she had previously implemented in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and saw an opportunity to adapt it for East Baton Rouge Parish. With the full support of TBR, she and her collaborators developed COPE, securing funding from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies to bring it to life.

The COPE program is designed to be delivered by trained community facilitators in congregations and local organizations, ensuring accessibility and cultural relevance. So far, the program has reached over 300 individuals and trained more than 30 facilitators. Participants have reported profound experiences, such as forming deeper connections with people they had known for years but never truly engaged with on a personal level.

“I’ve heard from people who say they feel more confident sharing their experiences now,” Dr. Scott said. “Some have even started new support groups within their churches to bring people together who are caring for others.”

Dr. Scott envisions COPE as part of a larger movement toward community-based disaster response. The initiative is now being integrated into Community Lighthouse, a broader disaster resilience model that combines mental health support with energy resilience strategies. Ultimately, she hopes COPE will not only equip individuals with the tools to manage stress and support one another but also strengthen relationships within communities, fostering a collective ability to respond to future disasters.

“This work has taught me that reaching people requires flexibility—both in how we provide services and in how we listen to what communities truly need,” Dr. Scott said. “We must create systems that meet people where they are while also ensuring that providers are supported and compensated fairly.”

Through her collaboration with Together Baton Rouge, Dr. Scott is building a model for disaster mental health response that prioritizes community engagement, accessibility, and sustainability. Her research is paving the way for a future where mental health support is not just a service but a shared community responsibility.

 

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ABOUT LSU SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

LSU School of Social Work offers multiple degree programs in Social Work and Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS), including an on campus Social Work doctoral program, on campus and online Master of Social Work, and an on campus Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Science in HDFS.

Visit the LSU School of Social Work website

 

CONTACT

Ellen Tadman
School of Social Work
etadman@lsu.edu