Fellowship in Clinical Social Work with Communities of Color
We are excited about your interest in our post-MSW fellowship in clinical social work therapy with culturally diverse populations at HAWK Behavioral Health (HBH).
It is well documented that people of color are less likely to access psychotherapy than white people. Studies show that when experiencing mental illness, for example, only 39% of Black, 36% of Hispanic, and 25% of Asians receive the help they need. According to the National Institutes of Health, several factors explain this disparity:
• Stigma: People of color may experience more stigma around mental illness than white people.
• Cost: Private psychotherapy can cost $200 or more per session without insurance.
• Cultural history: Cultural context can influence how people conceptualize mental illness and treatment.
• Lack of diverse providers: There is a shortage of mental health professionals of color, especially on college
campuses.
• Historical mistrust: People of color may have a history of mistrust of the mental health community.
• Insurance coverage: Insurance coverage can vary, and providers may not have a pool of providers that
align with a person's racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
• Waiting lists: Waiting lists for publicly available sources of support can be very long.
Why Train at HBH?
Our unique postgraduate training program at HBH is dedicated to filling this gap. We offer comprehensive clinical experience and professional development opportunities rooted in evidenced based and culturally specific training practices. This training is designed to cater to the needs of employed Licensed Masters Social Workers who are looking to enhance their clinical skills and professional identity while accruing post-graduate hours on the path to licensure. Ideal applicants often work in school, agency-based settings, and hospitals.
The HBH fellowship is a part-time program that spans up to three consecutive years depending upon when licensure is obtained. This process involving simultaneous training, supervision, and clinical practice. In the first year, fellows complete four to six months of didactic training covering topics relevant to the opening phase of therapeutic work (i.e., diagnostic assessment and report writing, treatment plan development, DSM, differential diagnosis, crisis intervention, ethics of care, cultural competency considerations, clinical case management, and opening phase therapeutic work). After completing this phase of training, fellows will be matched with three to five clients while engaging in weekly individual supervision and ongoing didactic training focused on individual theories of development, psychopathology, sociocultural concepts, theories of family development, special topics in clinical case management, and ends with middle-phase therapeutic work.
Upon successful completion of the first year, the second-year entails continued weekly individual supervision, group case conference sessions, and instruction in developmental models of the mind, cultural identity development, community services work, and termination stages of clinical social work. During the final year, fellows will continue to receive individual and group supervision while also learning the steps to establishing their own private practices or pursuing clinical social work careers. This will include topics such as ethical and legal considerations of private practice, basics in completing federal and state business forms, creating practice related forms, and billing and coding basics for clinical social work practitioners.
We aim for fellows to transition into clinical social work clinicians at HBH upon successfully fulfilling their licensure requirements. To avoid treatment disruptions for clients, fellows are free to keep clients assigned to them at HBH and practice wherever they choose.
Supervision
Fellows receive licensure supervision at HAWK Behavioral Health even while engaged in full-time employment. The process, though subject to state-specific variations, commonly entails mandatory participation in a supervised practice arrangement, necessitating a minimum of 3,000 hours within a 24–48-month period. Subsequently, license applicants must attain a passing score in the ASWB Clinical Level Examination, a computer-based assessment comprising 170 multiple-choice questions, to be completed within a 4-hour timeframe. During their final year at HBH, fellows receive comprehensive test preparation to aid in this endeavor.
Continuing
Education
Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSWs) must complete continuing education hours under supervision. This training can include professional development courses, lectures, seminars, workshops, webinars, conferences, and self-study courses offered by accredited social work schools, licensed health facilities, government agencies, or professional social work or mental health associations. Although specific content requirements vary by state, HBH fellows are provided with 20 state-approved hours per year in the following areas: ethics, suicide assessment and treatment, cultural diversity, and diagnosis and assessment.
Learning
Format
We acknowledge that people learn in many different ways. That's why we use various teaching methods such as lectures, discussions, media usage, case-based learning, mindfulness exercises, and role-plays to introduce practice principles, theoretical and empirical literature, and competency-based skills. Throughout the training, fellows will learn through different methods, moving from understanding practice to actually practicing through experiential methods like case-based discussions and peer-to-peer role plays. The cases used for discussion and role-plays will reflect individual and family practices in a variety of service settings, with a focus on the social and structural contexts surrounding communities of color.
Compensation
After successfully completing all year-one requirements, fellows become part-time employees of HBH and are compensated at a rate of $20 per 60-minute session. After meeting year two requirements, fellows are paid $30 per 60-minute session. Bilingual speakers are paid differentials. Upon obtaining licensure, fellows are offered opportunities to join HBH as therapists and rates are negotiated.