Seeking a deep understanding of the cultures and settings in which we work is central to the CSPAR mission; success leads to meaningful, pragmatic interventions that are ready for implementation.

Our goal is to ensure inclusion in all areas of our research — selection of researchers, students, staff, and study participants, partnering with the populations we study, as well as checking and managing our biases in the research questions we ask and the methods we use to find the answers. We also do our best to design and conduct our training programs to be useful, helpful, and meaningful to diverse audiences.

While many of the CSPAR training programs are free, all of our fee-based programs offer scholarships with priority given to those often under-represented at our trainings. Examples include:

• Racial/ethnic minorities
• Military
• Veterans
• First-Generation and Continuing-Generation College Students
•  LGBTQIA+
• Grew up in a rural or frontier area or low-income and health professional shortage area
• Was or is currently homeless
• Individuals with disabilities
• Was in the foster care system
• Was eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program
• Was or currently is eligible for Federal Pell grants
• Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition  Program for Women,  Infants, and Children (WIC) as a parent or child

Send inquiries to the registration staff listed for each program if scholarship information is not provided on the registration page. 

Here are some highlights of our diversity focused work in action:

1. Dr. Comtois has partnered with native communities to culturally adapt two of our interventions – Caring Contacts and Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS) – the latter with Drs. Jennifer Shaw and Dr. Ries.
2. Dr. Sung has developed a free self-guided course providing a framework for developing cultural competency and cultural humility in health care and suicide care: Hope and Recovery for Everyone: Cultural Factors in Suicide Care.
3. Clinicians who are unfamiliar with firearms or cultural factors associated with firearm ownership and use can benefit from training to support culturally-aligned lethal means counseling. Please click here for a free self-guided course Targeted Interventions: Firearms, Culture & Suicide Care developed by Dr. Sung.
4. Dr. Laura Richardson and Dr. Comtois have partnered with Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic to co-design and adapt Caring Contacts for the needs of gender expansive youth.