Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Institute of Family & Community Impact is OhioGuidestone’s Center of Excellence for research, clinical training and innovation, and advocacy. Our aim is to extend OhioGuidestone’s influence on whole-person health by utilizing innovation, research, and advocacy to support families and communities, and equip professionals. Our vision is to enable people, programs, and policymakers to make science and evidence-based decisions that contribute to communities with strong and healthy adults, children, and families, who experience limited adversity and abundant positive and benevolent experiences. Explore the rest of our frequently asked questions to get more answers!

To join an open research study please visit our secure research portal. Frequently asked questions about eligibility for our open research studies are answered on our research studies page.

Donation Steps:

1. Visit https://ohioguidestone.org/giving/ to donate virtually.
2. Click the amount you would like to donate or specify the amount of your choice.
3. Direct your donation by using the dropdown menu. To direct your donation to the Institute of Family and Community Impact, click “IFCI” in the dropdown menu.
4. Type in your personal and additional information
5. Click “Make Donation”

Thank you for your contribution towards stronger, more resilient families and communities.

Our clinical manuals and various products are for professionals, parents/caregivers and everyone in between! Check out our shop product descriptions to learn more about which of our products will be helpful for you and your needs.

There are many ways you can partner with IFCI! From funding, to building innovations and everything else in between. We appreciate our partners for the unique assets they bring! Visit our partner with us page to learn more!

Yes, our Institute Media Kit contains quick facts about who we are and what we do! Feel free to share it with everyone you know! Frequently asked questions about who we are can be found within this kit!

Our goal as OhioGuidestone’s Institute of Family and Community Impact is to work toward creating a world in which all families and communities can thrive and reach their full potential. We believe that by combining research, clinical training, innovation, and advocacy, we can continue making this vision a reality.

At the Institute of Family and Community Impact, we recognize that every individual, family, and community is unique, with its own strengths and challenges. That’s why we take a holistic approach to our work, considering all the factors that contribute to thriving families and communities, while also being culturally aware and sensitive. We prioritize innovation, developing new strategies and interventions that can help families and communities overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.

We are also committed to growing in advocacy in the coming years, continuing to use our voice and unique position to advocate for policies and programs that support families and communities on a bi-partisan level. Together, we believe that we can create a world in which every family and community has the resources and support it needs to thrive.

From conducting numerous research studies and initiatives that have served over 1,000 community members, to advocating and making an impact on non-partisan public policy through our empirical research and position papers, the Institute has had numerous accomplishments since we were born in 2017.

We have published 34+ products, position papers, and manuscripts, and have introduced 8+ life-changing innovations, including Joyful Together™, Father’s Feelings, Maternal Vitality, and CBT+, among others. We take pride in having trained individuals from all over Ohio and beyond, through our training that promotes health and resiliency among clinicians, individuals, families, caregivers, school staff, and various other community members and organizations.

In mental health, research is essential to understanding the most effective treatments, interventions, and practices for those with serious mental illnesses and needs. At OhioGuidestone, we recognize the importance of research in our work and have made it a priority to integrate it into our services via our Institute of Family and Community Impact. By utilizing evidence-based practices, backed by our own unique center of excellence, we can ensure that our programs and interventions are grounded in the best available research in the field. Through the Institute, OhioGuidestone also aims to evaluate the effectiveness of our programs and to identify areas where we can improve. This allows us to continuously refine our services and provide the best possible care for those we serve.

At OhioGuidestone, we believe that the field must be led through innovation and research as these are key to achieving better outcomes for our clients and our communities. By staying up to date on the latest research and continually seeking new, innovative, and creative solutions, we are better equipped to address the complex challenges that arise in our communities; and by addressing these challenges, we slowly work toward empowering our clients to improve their individual and family vitality.

At OhioGuidestone, we validate and implement Institute tools and models through our highly trained, on-the-ground staff. OhioGuidestone’s Institute of Family and Community Impact does research for and with the communities we serve, never ‘on’ them. We positively impact communities through our research by sharing our important empirical results and implications directly with them in an accessible manner, instead of limiting our research to other professionals within inaccessible journals.

Through our research, we strive to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges, and joys that families and communities face. We use this knowledge to develop evidence-based programs, interventions, and innovations that promote positive, culturally, and linguistically sensitive outcomes for the people we serve.

Our clinical training programs equip a variety of professionals across direct service providing fields with the tools and knowledge necessary to provide effective treatment and services to those in need. The Institute knows those in need may also be the ones pushed to the margins in our society—this is why we ensure our research is inclusive, culturally sensitive, and flexible for the vulnerabilized and minoritized populations within our communities.