Social Work Master’s Student Wins Minority Fellowship

CHHS master’s student Sheena Beach is the recipient of a prestigious fellowship meant to improve the quality and availability of behavioral healthcare in underserved populations.

Beach is the first UNCC Master of Social Work (MSW) student to win the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Grant. She will receive a $6,500 stipend as part of the program.

The grant was created in 1973 to increase the number of professionals in a wide range of disciplines trained to develop and implement programs for minority populations with mental health or substance abuse disorders. The program was also created with the recognition that ethnic and racial minorities are underrepresented in behavioral health professions.

The SAMHSA grant is intended to increase the number of health professionals who are “culturally competent”, and carefully consider a patient’s background when providing services. It’s an attribute Beach said is essential, but requires a commitment to lifelong development.

“It is unique in that while it must be considered in everyday practice working with clients, there will never be a point when the practitioner is fully culturally competent,” she said. “Rather, it is a learning process we must constantly strive to incorporate into every element of service we engage in with our clients.”

​Beach, who is African-American, and also attended UNCC as an undergraduate, will focus specifically on mental health issues in youth populations. She noted that approximately 70% of adolescents who need mental health treatment will not get it, due to lack of access.

“I believe that too often mental health concerns in adolescents are dismissed as typical brooding and growing pains,” she said. “This rush to ignore the initial signs of anxiety and depression in this population leads to poor mental health outcomes as they reach adulthood.” The prognosis is far better when there is an opportunity for early intervention, Beach added.

As far as her own journey as a mental health professional in training, Beach said the MSW program and its people have been central to the process.

“My professors have a special combination of compassion and high expectations that propel students to success. I have felt consistently challenged in both the BSW and MSW programs to step outside my comfort zone and learn about ethical practice, she said.” “Both my undergraduate and graduate field placements provided me with hands on experience providing services to at-risk youth.”

Ultimately, the union of a university-wide emphasis on urban issues and her own personal passions helped carry Beach to this point, she said.

“UNC Charlotte’s focus on urban research and community partnerships offer excellent opportunities for advocacy and involvement to raise awareness for mental illness. I am humbled by this amazing opportunity.”