FSU Center Initiative Expands Nationally

One year post-launch, an innovative, self-paced program created by the Stoops Center for Communities, Families, and Children (Stoops CFC Center) at Florida State University's College of Social Work is helping individuals involved with the criminal justice system build healthier lives and reduce substance-related harm—without adding to staff workload.

Level Up with EASE is a program designed to help justice-involved individuals break the cycle of substance use. Developed to fit the realities of correctional settings, Level Up with EASE delivers evidence-informed, skill-building via secure smart tablets provided through a partnership with Socrates Software and implemented alongside Core Rehabilitation Services.

The entirely self-paced, device-based model means facilities can provide access to participants regardless of sentence length, custody level, staffing constraints, or classroom availability, all common barriers in correctional settings. Program staff report that this model has been especially important in the current climate of provider shortages and eligibility restrictions, which often limit access to behavioral programming before release.

"Level Up with EASE was meant to meet people where they are and still deliver the skills that translate to daily life," said Margarita Amado-Blanco, MSW, MPA, Program Manager at the Stoops CFC Center. "Our goal is to reduce barriers without reducing quality."

Over the past year, the program has been adopted in 14 correctional facilities across multiple states.

The course is organized into four parts: Engage, Assess, Support, and Evaluate. Participants learn practical skills in communication, empathy, healthy decision-making, goal-setting, and emotion regulation, and then apply those skills to their own circumstances and relationships. A virtual coaching component with an MSW-trained coach enables participants to practice what they have learned, reinforcing the material and providing an opportunity to troubleshoot real-life applications. Throughout the curriculum, the four-character model uses these strategies in scenarios tied to substance use and family relationships. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate, digital badges and a $10 gift card incentive.

Level Up with EASE was initially developed for individuals with justice involvement. Still, given the well-documented overlap between justice involvement and substance use, the program is now open to individuals experiencing substance use challenges, even if they are not currently justice-involved. This expansion reflects the program's applicability to populations at elevated risk for substance-related harm and family instability.

Enrollment is direct-to-participant. Individuals do not need an agency or provider referral and can sign up independently using a smart device.

Pre-assessment data show many participants commonly enter the program with risk factors such as substance use risk, limited social support, low sense of purpose and elevated parenting stress. Preliminary post-assessment data from individuals who completed the course suggest improvements across several well-being indicators, including

• increases in sense of purpose, relationship satisfaction, and self-efficacy,
• alongside reductions in reported risky substance use at the time of exit.

Although the findings are preliminary, these trends indicate significant growth in protective factors associated with reentry success. Level Up with EASE is available at no cost through September 2026 as part of a grant funded by the Elevance Health Foundation. Eligibility includes individuals with current or past justice involvement and individuals with current or past substance use.

Enrollment can be completed at bit.ly/LEVELUPWITHEASE

For more information about Level Up with EASE or agency partnerships, contact Margarita Amado-Blanco, Stoops CFC Center Program Manager, at mamadoblanco@fsu.edu