April 2024

From the MFP Team  Happy spring, applications season, and final exam season! MFP is gearing up to begin the 2024–2025 application review process. This is an exciting time as we anticipate growing the exceptional Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) community through establishing the 50th cohort of CSWE-MFP fellows with help from application reviewers and an MFP Advisory Committee. If you are interested in supporting MFP through this process, please complete the MFP Volunteer Application indicating your interest. Your participation is essential to the success of MFP, and we truly appreciate your support! With any new chapter, there also comes the closing of the last and the turning of a new page.  We're thrilled to see many of the current MFP fellows, particularly those in the MSW cohort, entering their final weeks as MSW students and eagerly preparing for their  graduation. We encourage the MFP community to impart words of wisdom to the graduating class as they navigate through the last stages of their degree requirements, internships, and exams. If you are interested in sharing opportunities, resources, and kind words of encouragement and support to the MFP graduates, please email us at  [email protected]. We'll be delighted to share your insights and thoughtful messages with the current fellows. Your encouragement as MFP alumni and established social work professionals is invaluable! For those MFP alumni in higher education institutions, we wish you and your students all the best as the spring semester wraps up! With gratitude, The MFP Team

Fellow Spotlight

MFP fellows impact their immediate communities and the world in many ways through their dedication and service in the mental health and substance use sectors of the profession. They are consistently working towards the goals of the program’s funder, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), by improving behavioral health outcomes for racial and ethnic populations through direct practice, research, teaching, learning, and advocacy measures. Learn more about one notable MSW MFP fellow below.

Jennifer Reyes is a current Master of Social Work Student at Metropolitan Sate University of Denver with an expected graduation in May 2024. Jennifer has been in the social work field since 2020. Prior to returning to school, she responded to the Afghanistan Refugee Crisis as a case manager in refugee resettlement. She does not shy away from working with people of varied national origins and providing services through an interpreter. She also worked in schools as a family liaison serving culturally and linguistically diverse students and their families to promote student success. Jennifer ultimately decided to obtain a MSW degree to continue to create space for underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, with a special passion for the Latino community. As an MSW student, she intentionally sought a field placement that provided bilingual and bicultural services. Jennifer landed at Clinica Family Health, a federally qualified health center in the Denver metro area. As a behavioral health intern, she provides brief clinical interventions, crisis interventions, and care coordination services to patients across the lifespan in both English and Spanish. After graduation, Jennifer is moving to coastal Virgina and continuing to put her life experiences as a woman of color, as a daughter of immigrants, and as a Spanish-speaking Latina to work in the therapeutic room. Jennifer is a firm believer that everyone needs healing, but that healing can drastically vary across different communities. Thus, she also understands that it is her responsibility to be a lifelong learner of culturally informed and holistic behavioral health services.
 

Celebrating MFP’s Legacy

Did you know that 2024 will mark 50 years since CSWE’s MFP was awarded a grant by the National Institute of Mental Health to increase the number of minority doctoral students majoring in mental health research? This first award was the catalyst for the program we celebrate today. Please take time to acknowledge those who paved the way with our ongoing MFP Legacy section highlighting those fellows who first were awarded fellowship. Find information on all 15 of the 1975–1976 cohort of MFP doctoral fellows here. Below is one fellow’s biographical profile from when they were a fellow.

“Yolanda I. Diaz-Perez is a 1973 graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Social Work. Her professional experience includes vocational rehabilitation with the Department of Social Services and school social work with the Department of Public Instruction in Puerto Rico. She leaves the latter position in Santurce, PR, to begin her doctoral work at the University of Denver.”

 

2024–2025 MSW Application Open

Since its inception in 1974, the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) has been steadfast in its commitment to shaping the future of social work professionals, nurturing their skills and knowledge. As we embark on another impactful year, we are delighted to announce the launch of the 2024–2025 Master of Social Work (MSW) MFP application cycle!

Applications are open and will be accepted until Friday, May 24, 2024, at 11:59 PM (ET). Apply to become an MFP MSW Fellow today by visiting the application link!

MFP has produced a list of Frequently Asked Questions along with an Application Guidebook to assist with your application process.

We are offering two interactive, virtual sessions designed to provide valuable insights and details about the program. Whether you are seeking comprehensive program information, or eager to participate in an interactive Q&A session with MFP staff, these sessions are tailored for all interested applicants. Registration is free; please find details on each session below:

Information Session
Date: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 
Time: 12:30 PM–2:00 PM (ET)

 

 

Q&A Session With MFP Staff
Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Time: 2:30 PM–3:30 PM (ET)
Location: Zoom

 

Call for Research Participants

MFP Doctoral Fellows are completing important and thought-provoking research as many undertake the dissertation phase of their doctoral degree. This is a lift that our MFP community can assist with by participating and gathering necessary data when called to action. Please review a letter below and read the recruitment flyer from current MFP fellow and PhD student Kortney Carr from the University of Kansas.

Hello, 

My name is Kortney Carr, and I am a PhD student at the University of Kansas in the School of Social Welfare. I am reaching out to invite social workers (i.e., individuals holding a BSW, MSW and/or PhD/DSW degree/s) to participate in this research study exploring how social workers’ practice with Black men is impacted by larger societal narratives. The findings from this study may help inform more culturally effective policy development and social work practice with Black men. 

Participation in this study involves completing a demographics questionnaire and an individual interview. All interviews will: occur via Zoom, be recorded, and last approximately 60 to 120 minutes.  No identifiable information will be collected, and the interview will only be available to me and possibly my faculty supervisor. 

In order to participate in this study, you must be 18 years of age or older, live and work in America, and have completed a degree in social work (BSW, MSW, DSW, PhD). Those who may be currently enrolled in a social work program, but who have not yet completed a social work degree will be excluded from this study. 

There are no personal benefits to participating in this study and no compensation. The information collected will be utilized to further develop social work services and the social work field by providing knowledge that could impact policy development and culturally effective social work practice. The anticipated risk due to participation in this study is minimal. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you can refuse to answer any question asked as well as end the interview at any time. As a participant in this study, you will receive a gift card in the amount of $50 for your time. Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in this study. If you have any questions, or are interested in participating in this study, please contact Kortney Carr at (913) 897-8789 or [email protected]. If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, you may call the Human Subjects Protection Office at (785) 864-7429 or email [email protected].

Sincerely, 

Kortney A. Carr, LCSW, LSCSW
 

We Need You! Volunteer With CSWE-MFP

There are many opportunities to volunteer with CSWE’s MFP this upcoming fellowship year. You do not have to be an MFP alumnus or social work educator to volunteer! Volunteering for the MFP is not time consuming, you get back what you give, and the time to apply is now. Here’s how you can help:

1.    Mentor a master’s or doctoral student: Support the academic and career development of a student passionate about meeting the needs of BIPOC communities.
2.    Be a guest speaker: Share your subject matter expertise by speaking on one of the topics, requested by incoming students (see below). Alternatively, if there’s a topic you believe to be of value to this group, please reach out to discuss it with our team.

• Abolitionist social work
• Disability-centered social work practice
• Grants 101
• Grief
• Inclusive sex therapy
• Innovative research methods
• Innovative treatment modalities
• LGBTQ youth mental health
• Narrative therapy
• Pathways to clinical licensure
• Postgraduation trials and tribulations
• Program evaluation
• Role of social work in reentry
• Social work and the arts
• Strengths-based approaches to working with BIPOC communities
• Supporting international students

3.    Join our advisory committee: Put your great ideas to great use—steer the program and provide input on key areas, including programming, alumni engagement, and applicant recruitment.
4.    Become an application reader: Support the selection of the next cohort of master’s and doctoral MFP fellows!

Find more information about getting involved and apply today!

 

Update Your Contact Information

Have you changed jobs in the last few years? Changed your primary email address? The 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 staff efforts to enhance connectedness in the MFP community.
 

Resources

Conference

West Coast Symposium on Addictive Disorders
Thursday, May 30–Saturday, June 1, 2024
The West Coast Symposium on Addictive Disorders promotes learning opportunities regarding the most effective strategies in addiction treatment and behavioral health. Join like-minded colleagues for educational and networking experiences in the sector of addiction treatment this May in Palm Springs, CA. 




Learn more: https://www.hmpglobalevents.com/west-coast-symposium 

 

Training

SUD 101 Core Curriculum (2023)

Twenty-two CE-eligible substance use disorder training courses provided by the Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS). 

Learn more: https://pcssnow.org/education-training/sud-core-curriculum/

 

Learning Opportunity

Documentation Skills to Improve Outcomes for Social Workers

Monday, May 20, 2024, 1:00–2:00 PM (ET)

From National Association of Social Workers: “This webinar will explore essential skills to document clinical encounters to support change and client activation. The webinar will explore how documentation supports integration of assessments, treatment planning, and measurement-based care. The webinar will explore how to accurately document data, assessments, and planning.”

Learn more: https://naswinstitute.inreachce.com/Details/Information/13c43785-5747-4a84-b574-865b6ffd1a7d