January 2021

January 2021

From the Director
Applications Opening Soon for 2021–2022 Doctoral Fellowship
CSWE Spark
MFP Fellow Spotlights
Job Announcements
Professional Development Opportunities
Call for Papers
CSWE Diversity Center’s January Educator|Resource

From the Director Happy 2021! I hope the new year brings health and happiness to each of you! We kick off the year with information about an MFP-related application for you to share with your networks. We are very excited to reach more social work students who are committed to addressing the mental health and/or substance use needs of historically omitted minoritized groups.  The MFP doctoral fellowship application period will open January 25, and we expect the master’s fellowship application cycle to open in April. Throughout the winter and spring we will be engaged in recruitment efforts that focus on Minority Serving Institutions, especially historically Black colleges and universities. If you are affiliated with such institutions and are interested in partnering with us on our efforts, please contact Spencer Middleton. Based on input from our volunteer Advisory Committee members, we have updated our application requirements for the 2021–2022 fellowship year. Applicants will respond to updated writing prompts, which will provide relevant information to the review committee members. Provided that we have continued funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), we plan to appoint 25 new and renewing doctoral fellows and at least 40 master’s fellows for the 2021–2022 fellowship year. Additionally, with SAMHSA funding our colleagues at the American Psychological Association (APA) administer the Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program (IMFP). We are an active partner on the IMFP, which provides funding for 56 new and renewing master’s and doctoral students in social work, psychology, nursing, marriage and family therapy, and counseling and addictions counseling (master’s only) in preparation for interdisciplinary professional practice. IMFP fellows receive a stipend, training, mentoring, and funding for an interdisciplinary group project. The IMFP application period opens the week of January 18 and is managed by the APA. Applications are due April 15, 2021. Prospective applicants may apply to both fellowships but can only be appointed to either the MFP or the IMFP. Click here to apply! Fellows and alumni are the MFP’s best recruiters! Please look out for e-mails and Spark and social media posts with more information. In Fellowship,  Duy Nguyen, PhD Director, Minority Fellowship Program

Applications Opening Soon for 2021–2022 Doctoral Fellowship

The 2020–2021 doctoral fellowship application cycle will open on January 25, 2021. The deadline to apply is March 16, 2021. Sign up to receive a notification when the doctoral fellowship application period opens by clicking here!

 

CSWE Spark

Keep the conversation going on CSWE Spark! The Spark platform offers endless opportunities for connection, collaboration, and sharing within the MFP community. To join, navigate to the Spark home page and create an account. Within a few days your account should be approved, and you’ll be able to search the Spark Directory for connections. Start by adding Ameera Bhanji (MFP program associate) as a connection. When this connection is established, you’ll be given full access to the MFP community and can engage with existing threads or create your own. Now more than ever, we encourage you to make the most of CSWE Spark as the virtual home for the MFP family.

 

MFP Spotlights

Jelwyn Agbayani
Current master’s fellow Jelwyn Agbayani is an MSW student at Seattle University in Washington. Ms. Agbayani is currently interning with Sound Health, a community mental health agency that provides a wide range of mental health and addiction treatment services to vulnerable populations. In her role there, she supports therapeutic groups, positive modeling, and recreational activities that promote positive life skills. Additionally, her work with Sound Health entails engaging with homeless adults in milieu and one-on-one to promote positive life skills accessing resources such as laundry, shower facilities, help with housing-seeking activities, and social interaction. Ultimately, Ms. Agbayani hopes to work closely with immigrant youths and their families from low-income and/or Asian/Pacific Islander backgrounds. Mitigating mental health issues specific to these populations is a top priority of hers.

Dasha J. Rhodes
Dasha Rhodes is a PhD student at Morgan State University (MD) and current doctoral fellow. Ms. Rhodes’ research focuses on police and community relations with emphasis on mental health and psychological well-being with marginalized groups, specifically the examination of Black Americans' anxiety rates during police encounters. Ultimately, Dasha aspires to infuse social work practice into policing by examining the mental health associated with police contact among marginalized communities. She aims to evaluate behavioral responses resulting from police contact to provide data-driven training that equips officers to minimize and eliminate unnecessary lethal and excessive force.

Maritza Alva
Maritza Alva is a current master’s fellow and MSW student at New York University. Her experience serving immigrant and migrant youths led her to focus her professional career on providing accessible and comprehensive mental health support to this population. She says that as an immigrant woman herself, she could identify with the experiences and trauma immigrants and migrant youths have faced. Ms. Alva is presently completing her field placement at Rios and Associates Therapeutic Solutions, where she meets with clients weekly and provides them with mental health support. Her goal is to serve the immigrant and migrant youth community and offer tools to help survivors thrive.

Cortney R. VanHook
Current doctoral fellow Cortney VanHook is a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh (PA). With a specific interest in mental health interventions for Black men, particularly adolescent and young adult cohorts, VanHook is an aspiring clinical interventionist seeking to develop, implement, and evaluate mental health programs. After graduation he hopes to obtain a faculty position in a resource-rich school and direct an academic–community partnership with a mission of promoting the mental well-being of Black men.
 

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