MFP Connect, September 2026

Greetings MFP Community,

As summer begins to give way to the rhythms of a new academic year, I am reminded that each semester offers us a unique opportunity: the chance to begin again.

Whether you are returning to campus, starting a new field placement, entering a new program year, or continuing your professional journey, the beginning of a semester is a powerful reminder that growth often starts with a fresh perspective. It is a season of possibility, reflection, and renewed commitment to the goals and values that brought us to social work in the first place.

The start of a new academic year can bring excitement, anticipation, and sometimes uncertainty. New courses, new responsibilities, and new challenges often accompany the opportunities ahead. Yet as social workers, we understand that meaningful change rarely happens without stepping into unfamiliar spaces. Growth requires courage, perseverance, and a willingness to embrace learning, even when the path forward is not entirely clear.

I encourage each of you to approach this time of year with intention. Take time to reflect on what you hope to accomplish, both academically and personally. Consider the communities you hope to serve, the knowledge you want to gain, and the impact you aspire to make. Set goals that challenge you while also extending yourself grace as you navigate the demands of the year ahead.

One of the greatest strengths of the Minority Fellowship Program is the community we share. Across universities, agencies, health systems, and communities throughout the country, MFP Fellows and alumni continue to demonstrate leadership, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to advancing equal access to behavioral health services. Wherever you are in your social work journey, remember that you are part of a network that believes in your success and stands ready to support you along the way.

This year, I encourage you to remain curious, seek out opportunities for connection, and invest in relationships that will sustain you throughout your career. Reach out to mentors, engage with your peers, and take advantage of the professional development opportunities available through MFP and within your own network. Some of the most meaningful learning experiences occur outside the classroom, through collaboration and shared experiences with others who are also committed to making a difference.

As we look ahead, I am excited to see all that this community will accomplish. The future of our profession is strengthened by your passion, your scholarship, your advocacy, and your dedication to serving your respective communities.

On behalf of the entire MFP team, welcome to a new semester and a new academic year. May it be filled with growth, purpose, discovery, and success!

We are honored to be part of your journey.

Warm regards,
Dr. Kimberly R. Mayes, LCSW
Director, Minority Fellowship Program

Dr. Tunisia Nelson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 14 years of experience in child welfare and over three years in clinical practice. Her professional work centers on trauma-informed care, advancing equitable systems and care for underserved communities. She brings expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and community-based research. She is a proven leader in supervision, training, and ethics consultation. She is currently serving as an ethics consultant for the California Society of Clinical Social Workers.

Dr. Nelson’s scholarly interests are centered on child welfare, behavioral health disparities, access to care, and the experiences of transition-age youth (TAY). Her current work emphasizes systems-level advancement, workforce development, and community engagement within county behavioral health systems. She is committed to advancing social work policy and practice through innovation, nonprofit leadership, research, and teaching.

Her work integrates clinical practice, research, and academia to address the complex, interconnected needs of TAY. She is actively pursuing community partnerships with local community-based programs such as Guardian Scholars, Rising Scholars, and TRIO, all of which support foster youth pursuing post-secondary education. Through these partnerships, she aims to develop innovative, multidimensional interventions that move beyond single-focus approaches to address both behavioral health needs and the often overlooked social and emotional factors that influence well-being, including agency, belonging, and connection. Her long-term goal is to develop interventions that promote resilience, mental wellness, and sustained educational and life outcomes. 

As a practitioner-scholar, Dr. Nelson is particularly interested in bringing experiential learning, community engagement, and practice-informed scholarship into higher education. She is actively pursuing opportunities in academia where she can contribute her clinical and child welfare expertise, mentor emerging social workers, and advance community-centered research. Her goal is to help build a more well-rounded, prepared workforce equipped to think innovatively when addressing complex social and behavioral health challenges.

You can learn more about her work and professional initiatives by connecting with her on LinkedIn or visiting Fierce Interventions LLC at Fierceinterventions.com.

Jon Torres, MSW, LICSW began his journey into higher education at Bellevue Community College, now Bellevue College, but dropped out after two quarters. He then enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and completed a four-year enlistment before being honorably discharged through the Marine Corps Early Release to Further Education Program. Upon returning to Washington State, Jon completed his Associate of Arts degree and transferred to the University of Washington’s (UW) Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare (BASW) program.

While at UW, Jon had the privilege of working alongside the Chinatown-International District community and learning from community members. After completing his BASW, he was accepted into UW’s Master of Social Work Advanced Standing Program, with a concentration in Community-Centered Integrative Practice.

Following his MSW, Jon gained experience across several areas of social work. He worked at a community mental health organization providing mental health counseling to Asian American and immigrant children, youth, and families. He also provided suicide intervention and care coordination within the University of Washington and later worked as an evaluator at a research organization. These experiences allowed Jon to earn his Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) credential in Washington State.

Jon’s professional and personal experiences as a second-generation Filipinx American inform his research interests in historical and intergenerational trauma among Asian American and immigrant communities. In particular, he is interested in understanding the mechanisms through which historical and intergenerational trauma affect well-being, while also exploring community- and culturally informed ways to disrupt cycles of intergenerational trauma.

The MFP has provided Jon with mentorship that has been foundational in shaping his professional development as a scholar. The program has also supported his ability to focus more deeply on research and develop methodological skills critical to exploring questions related to historical and intergenerational trauma and health. Through the MFP Jon has also had the opportunity to connect with inspiring scholars whose work intersects with his research agenda.

In the future, Jon hopes to continue research related to historical and intergenerational trauma in a tenure-track faculty position at an R1 or R2 university. He hopes to collaborate with colleagues and communities to further advance the health and well-being of BIPOC communities. Jon also hopes to continue mentoring and teaching future social workers who will contribute to the social work profession, and work toward eliminating health disparities.

We are thrilled to see interest in the fellowship continue to grow each year! If you missed this year’s application deadlines, or are interested in applying next year, complete the interest survey applicable to you below. By submitting a survey you’ll be notified when the next application cycle opens. 

Have you changed jobs in the last few years? Changed your primary email address? CSWE’s MFP relies on current contact information for our internal database, which we use to contact alumni and help us prepare our reports for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Please use this link to share your updated contact information. Additionally, you are encouraged to reach out to MFP alumni you are connected with and request that they share their updated information too. Thank you in advance for supporting MFP team efforts to enhance connectedness in the MFP community.  

Seminar at SSWR 2027 | Application Deadline: Sept. 15, 2026 | Event Date: Jan. 21, 2027: This is a full-day workshop designed to support doctoral students in developing their dissertation proposals. The seminar provides structured mentoring and peer feedback, helping students strengthen their research and professional development skills. The event will take place before the SSWR Annual Conference.

The seminar will host 15 doctoral students and 5 mentors, pairing students into groups of 3 students and 1 mentor based on their substantive topics and research expertise. To address different needs at various stages of doctoral education, the groups will be structured as follows:

Each participant will submit a dissertation proposal or a dissertation chapter for peer and mentor feedback. Students and mentors will read assigned submissions and prepare comments before the seminar to ensure an engaging and productive discussion.

For questions, please contact A. DeeJay Hastings, AE-MBA, IOM, CAE, Director, SSWR Conference and Membership, at [email protected]. For more information on R.I.S.E., please visit: https://sswr.org/page/RISE
 

Providers Clinical Support System - Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (PCSS-MOUD): The 23 modules in this 2023 curriculum provide an overview of evidence-based practices in the prevention, identification, and treatment of substance use disorders and co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions for a variety of populations. Learn more.

The 2026 Behavioral Health Tech Conference, taking place September 22-24 in Nashville, TN, will bring together passionate professionals to explore the intersection of technology and behavioral health through interactive workshops, meaningful discussions, and valuable networking opportunities. Learn more.

P2P USA Doctoral Research Award | Application Deadline: Dec. 4, 2026
Parent to Parent USA (P2P USA) invites applications for the P2P USA Doctoral Research Award. This funding opportunity is specifically designed to support doctoral student research focused on peer support for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities or special healthcare needs. This award is intended to encourage rigorous, thoughtful, and practice-relevant scholarship that expands knowledge about parent-to-parent support and its role in improving outcomes for children, parents, caregivers, and families. P2P USA welcomes proposals that deepen understanding of how peer support is experienced, delivered, evaluated, and sustained across diverse family and community contexts. Projects must place peer support for parents or caregivers at the center of the proposed work and must be clearly relevant to families of children with disabilities or special healthcare needs. Proposals may focus on research, evaluation, or pilot work that contributes to scholarship and informs practice, policy, or program design.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria at the time of application and during the project period: Be currently enrolled as a graduate student in good standing in a doctoral program at a US institution of Higher Education. Serve as the primary investigator or project lead for the proposed study. Propose a project clearly related to peer support for parents of children with disabilities or special healthcare needs. Have a faculty advisor, mentor, or supervisor who supports the proposed work. Applicants from any relevant discipline are welcome, including but not limited to public health, psychology, social work, education, nursing, medicine, disability studies, public policy, sociology, and related fields. P2P welcomes a range of research approaches, including: Dissertation research Pilot or feasibility studies Program evaluation Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods Community-engaged/participatory research Secondary data analysis with clear relevance Projects should be grounded in a clear conceptual, scholarly, or applied framework and should demonstrate methodological rigor appropriate to the proposed design

Additional information is available here: www.p2pusa.org/research-award.

Check out the CSWE Career Center!