UROP Project
Sibling Intervention for Better Support-Coping and Resilience Enhancement (SIBS-CARE): Addressing the Psychosocial Wellbeing of the Siblings of Children with Special Healthcare Needs
pediatric healthcare, social science, mhealth, digital health
Research Mentor: Sonnie Mayewski, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: College of Social Work, Social Work
Contact Email: SMayewski@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: College of Social Work, Social Work
Contact Email: SMayewski@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Social Work, Nursing, Psychology, Human Development and Family Science, Sociology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Social Work, Nursing, Psychology, Human Development and Family Science, Sociology
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: No, the project is remote Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 8, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Monday, August 31
Start Time: 4:30
End Time: 5:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/91690435515
Project Description
SIBS-CARE is a digital health intervention designed to support siblings of children with special healthcare needs, a population that often experiences elevated stress, anxiety, and unmet emotional needs due to the demands placed on their families. Delivered through a custom-built R Shiny app, the program adapts trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) principles into an accessible, technology-based format that fits into busy family schedules.This dissertation project aims to develop, refine, and evaluate SIBS-CARE as a scalable tool for improving coping skills, emotional well-being, and family functioning among siblings navigating the challenges of having a brother or sister with a chronic illness or disability. The research combines intervention design, iterative app testing, and outcome evaluation to build evidence for digital mental health tools tailored to an underserved group within pediatric family systems.
Research Tasks: Beta testing: using the SIBS-CARE app and documenting bugs, usability issues, or feedback for iterative development.
Participant check-in calls: conducting brief structured calls with study participants to monitor engagement, answer questions, and collect feedback.
Literature review: searching, screening, and summarizing academic articles relevant to sibling mental health, TF-CBT, and digital health interventions
Data entry and management: inputting check-in call notes or survey responses into REDCap
Recruitment support: assisting with participant outreach, screening for eligibility, and tracking enrollment status.
Qualitative coding assistance: helping apply codes to check-in call notes or open-ended survey responses
Attending research team meetings: participating in weekly meetings to report on progress and receive task guidance.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Strong communication skills (required)
Reliability and time management (required)
Basic computer literacy (required)
Attention to detail (required)
Ability to maintain confidentiality (required)
Prior coursework in psychology, social work, nursing, or a related field (recommended)
Experience with literature databases (recommended
Familiarity with reference management software (e.g., Zotero, EndNote) (recommended)
Interest or coursework in child/family development or pediatric health (recommended)
Basic data entry or spreadsheet experience (e.g., Excel/Google Sheets) (recommended)
Mentoring Philosophy
My mentoring approach is rooted in the same values that guide my teaching and my clinical social work practice: respect, collaboration, and meeting people where they are. I believe every mentee brings unique strengths, curiosities, and goals to a research experience, and my role is to help them identify those goals early on and tailor their involvement so the work feels meaningful.I aim to create a learning environment that is interactive and low-stakes, where mentees feel safe asking questions, making mistakes, and learning through trial and error rather than fearing judgment for not immediately knowing the 'right' answer. I regularly check in on my mentees' understanding of tasks and the broader research context, adjusting my explanations and level of guidance as their confidence and skills grow. As they demonstrate competence, I encourage increasing ownership of tasks, because I've found that accountability paired with trust helps students grow into more independent, confident researchers.
I also try to be transparent about my own experiences navigating research, clinical work, and academia, including the setbacks, so mentees understand that struggle is a normal and productive part of the process.