September 2021
From the MFP Team
National Addiction Professionals Day
Fellow Spotlight: Regina Honorat, MSW
Creating a Personal Brand: A Conversation with Josie Rosario LMSW, MSEd, RTY
CSWE Diversity Center’s September Educator|Resource
Job Opportunities
CSWE Spark
National Addiction Professionals Day
September 20, 2021, is National Addiction Professionals Day. This annual day of recognition is held as a part of National Recovery Month, which aims to increase awareness and understanding of mental health and substance use disorders and celebrate people in recovery.
The Council on Social Work Education’s Minority Fellowship Program is joining NAADAC, the largest membership organization for addiction-focused health-care professionals representing the professional interests of more than 100,000 addiction counselors, educators, and other addiction-focused health-care professionals in the United States, Canada, and abroad, in observing Addiction Professionals Day and recognizing how amazing addiction professionals are! We’re starting by celebrating our fellows’ roles as addiction professionals. Check out our fellow spotlight below!
Fellow Spotlight: Regina Honorat, MSW
This month’s spotlight shines on current master’s fellow, Regina Honorat. Regina is a recent graduate of Columbia University, where she specialized in advanced clinical practice. As a substance abuse therapist and pregnancy counselor, she shares why she became an addiction professional, what it means to her to be working in this space, and why the addiction profession is vital to our communities.
I became an addiction professional because I believe in giving others a second chance. This profession allows me to guide others to achieve their goals. As one begins their journey to sobriety, it motivates others facing similar challenges to seek help. Treatment looks different for everyone and as an addiction professional, I can foster a community, so no one feels alone in their journey. Being an addiction therapist means working toward progress, not perfection. An addiction therapist is vital to our communities because it gives others hope that there are many ways to get help and that there is nothing to be ashamed about for getting help. Addiction therapists are advocating for positive change and will accept nothing less than that.
On August 27, MFP alumna Josie Rosario, LMSW, MSEd, RYT, joined a group of master’s fellows for a discussion of how to promote one’s passions, experience, and career goals and develop a personal brand. Josie is a New York City-based licensed therapist and intuitive who specializes in helping communities awaken to and break trauma patterns and realign with their highest self and soul’s purpose. Outside of that role, Josie is the founder and CEO of the Healing Strategy, a business coaching company exclusively for mental health therapists. She’s a two-time graduate of Columbia University and graduated with distinction from the School of Social Work. She is currently a trainee in couples and family therapist at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City.
Attendees described Josie’s session as stimulating and informative. One commented that Josie evidently “has a wealth of unique knowledge and experience that she shared in a way that was easy to resonate with.” Another shared that they appreciated conversation about “giving yourself permission to start a brand, to find a niche, to pursue nontraditional avenues of social work.” The MFP is grateful to alumni such as Josie who support our fellows’ academic and professional development by delivering webinars, discussions, and trainings.
Are you an alum interested in sharing your time and expertise with current fellows in the program? Reach out to MFP staff at [email protected] so we can determine how your content may align with training goals and initiatives for the MFP masters and/or doctoral fellowships.
CSWE Diversity Center's September Educator|Resource
Visit CSWE’s Center for Diversity and Social and Economic Justice on Tuesday, September 14 to view the newest edition of the Educator|Resource. The Educator|Resource of the Month offers creative pedagogical approaches to diversity and justice education. The resources featured are developed by experts in the field and map to the CSWE 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards competencies in diversity and social justice. Educators can use the materials for developing assignments or a variety of teaching activities.