An active student member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Robin Dunn Bryant often noticed a number of opportunities for social work students on NASW message boards, but a post about fellowships through the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) caught her eye and interest.

CSWE is the national association representing social work education in the United States and the sole accrediting agency for social work education. The CSWE Minority Fellowship Program provides opportunities to support the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to reduce the effect of substance use and mental illness on communities by increasing the number of social workers trained to work with underrepresented and underserved racial and ethnic minorities.

“I found out that the fellowship was created for students in the last year of their MSW program to support them during their internship,” reflected Robin. “And, that was me!” The fellowship program also required participants to work with racial and ethnic minorities during their internship and to commit to working among these populations for the first two years after graduation in the areas of mental health and substance use support.

For Robin, the fellowship program matched well with her interests. “I was drawn to the opportunity to be part of a cohort of students from across the country,” she emphasized. “I’m always interested in diverse perspectives and knew that I would learn as much from the other students in the program that I would from the professionals running it.”

Robin joined the other CSWE Minority fellows in October 2021 for the fellowship’s virtual orientation. She was introduced to the program administrators and the other 2021-2022 cohort members.

This spring, she started her final internship with FSU Behavioral Health at Apalachee Center. At the center, she works with an interdisciplinary team of licensed clinical social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses to offer support for individuals living with depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders. Her internship will include completing assessments and providing individual counseling to clients over six. Robin will also complete treatment plans, evaluate outcome measures, and offer case management and crisis intervention as needed.

Making the most of opportunities like this during her time in the MSW program, Robin has an established passion and dedication to wellness and helping others. She is also a certified yoga instructor and the creator of the podcast “Your Life After,” which focuses on people telling their stories about their lives after trauma. Her peers also selected Robin at the FSU College of Social Work as the 2020 MSW Student of the Year.

“I am deeply committed to the health and well-being of Black people, especially Black women. I plan to specialize in working with women healing from sexual abuse and assault, combining talk therapy and somatic therapy as a part of their healing process,” said Robin. “The fellowship will allow me to spend a year surrounded by other emerging practitioners who are also committed to working with racial and ethnic minorities.”

Her long-term plan is to obtain her licensure in social work to establish a multidisciplinary healing center to support African-Americans healing from various forms of trauma.

Social work students can apply for the program at https://www.cswe.org/Centers-Initiatives/Initiatives/Minority-Fellowship-Program.aspx.