#Conference Date: April 13th, 2023, 11:20 AM – 4:00 PM.
Join The Steve Fund, a nonprofit focused on the mental well-being of students of color, in a dialogue to examine the intersection of spirituality, religion, and mental health among students of color. We will focus on the needs of students of color engaged in campus faith-based organizations and potential mental health help-seeking barriers, how campus mental health providers integrate faith-based perspectives when working with students of color, and identify referral and support pathways from faith-based organizations to campus mental health providers.
The conference will:
- Share research findings from critical stakeholders,
- Mobilize diverse experts who specialize in the intersections of mental health,
spirituality, and religion to create a “community of action” across institutions and sectors, - Provide students of color engaged in campus faith-based organizations with ways to overcome help-seeking barriers related to psychological distress,
- Encourage practitioners to incorporate faith-based perspectives, support, and resources in their services when working with students of color.
Speakers
Dr. Ricardo Phipps
Dr. Ricardo Phipps currently serves as Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Associate Professor at Stevenson University in Owings Mills, MD. He has served as faculty at several institutions, including Coppin State University, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology–Washington, DC, and La Salle University. He is licensed as a professional counselor in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Ricardo has a strong clinical interest in working with college/university students and in the integration of spirituality and religious themes into counseling. Beyond his professional counseling background, Ricardo is also a Catholic priest. He is passionate about using counseling as a tool to help clients grow in their sense of meaning in life. Ricardo recently served as 2021-2022 President of the Maryland Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (MAMCD) and is currently the Credentialing Chair for the Maryland Counseling Association.
Jaz Robbins, Psy.D., BCHN
Jaz Robbins, Psy.D., BCHN® is a therapist and board-certified holistic nutritionist. She earned her bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University in Food Science & Nutrition, and master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She has been teaching graduate-level courses since 2020, and holds leadership positions within the Los Angeles County Psychological Association as well as the California Psychological Association.
As a therapist, Dr. Robbins has a wealth of experience working with clients with histories of complex trauma. She has treated individuals who have lost a loved one due to homicide, adults battling opiate addiction, men in a faith-based residential recovery program, individuals who met criteria for borderline personality disorder, Veterans with PTSD, emerging adults within a university setting, and individuals struggling with chronic medical challenges. Dr. Robbins is a published author with two titles to her credit, Still Standing and The Golden Penny. The first is a collection of poems and essays designed to motivate and encourage. The second is a CBT-inspired text for lay communities.
Archandria Owens, Ph.D
Dr. Archandria Owens is a trauma-informed licensed psychologist with a passion for the promotion of mental health and wellness for all, but with a particular love for doing this work with underserved populations. She specializes in the treatment of racial trauma, grief and loss, relational concerns, religious and spiritual issues, and family of origin trauma recovery in the counseling that she does within her private practice, The Collective Healing Space. Dr. Owens also works as a racial equity consultant through her consulting business, Owens Psychology, which allows her to provide dynamic and interactive training, needs assessments, and tailored consultation services around issues of race to organizations, churches, and mental health collectives in the communities she serves. Dr. Owens is the founder and curator of Healing Black Narratives, an Instagram-based initiative that provides education, promotes healing, and prioritizes the Black experience making the work that Dr. Owens does more accessible to others.
Dr. Chanda Reynolds
Dr. Chanda Reynolds is a multifaceted personality, combining her skills as a licensed clinical psychologist, content creator, podcast host, and national speaker to become an emerging voice in the mental health community. She earned her doctorate degree in clinical psychology after noticing disparities in mental health within the Black church. Dr. Reynolds has a passion for addressing transgenerational trauma in the Black community, integrating faith and mental health, and improving mental health in the Black church. Her private practice in Washington, D.C. caters to children, adolescents, young adults, and families. As the clinical director and CEO of " Minds of the Culture ", a nonprofit and mobile app dedicated to increasing mental health access for the Black community, Dr. Reynolds has received recognition including the 400 Distinguished Award from the 400 Years of African American History Commission. Dr. Chanda is a sought-after speaker, presenting on mental health across the country and being named a TED-X speaker in South Africa for March 2023. She has been featured in major publications such as Essence magazine, Forbes, and Refinery 29 and has spoken for brands like Puma and Footlocker Women, as well as organizations like The United Negro College Fund, the American Public Health Association, the Association of Black Psychologists National Conventions (2017, 2019) and HBCU Week. She has spoken at universities including Rutgers and Cheyney University. Her podcast, recently named one of the top 5 podcasts for Black Women by Sheen Magazine, adds to her impact on the mental health community.
Musbah Shaeen
Musabah Shaheen’s research interests include queer and religious students’ identities and experiences, Muslim student experiences, and international students in U.S. higher education. Most recently, he has worked on the INSPIRES Index project to develop and test a new empirically-based survey instrument that helps campuses assess how welcoming they are for diverse religious, secular, and spiritual worldviews. He was primarily responsible for the recruitment of 185 institutions to participate and data analysis of the results to meet grant objectives. Prior to this study, he worked extensively with a large mixed-methods dataset as part of the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS) research team and was instrumental for producing needed institutional report, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and publishing new knowledge in a variety of public and scholarly outlets. He has published over 9 peer-reviewed articles, 2 book chapters, and has delivered 13 national conference presentations.
Dr. Carlota Ocam
Mental Health Expert
Carlota Ocampo, PhD, is the provost for Trinity Washington University and leads the Office of Academic Affairs, which supervises the planning, delivery, and assessment of Trinity’s academic and co-curricular programs. Ocampo joined Trinity in 1997 as an assistant professor of psychology; she has served as associate provost, associate dean of Arts & Sciences, and chair of human relations (during which time the major grew to become one of the University’s top majors). Prior to entering administration, she taught for many years as a tenured associate professor of psychology at Trinity (a title she retains). Ocampo received her PhD in neuropsychology from Howard University (1997). She holds an MS and a BS, also from Howard. Her scholarship explores pedagogical reform for changing student populations, racist-incident trauma, and ethnicity, gender and disease. Currently, she is exploring perceptions of care and mobile health technologies among community health clients. She has served on the APA’s Educational Affairs working group on a national introductory psychology assessment plan and is a class of 2011 Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology inductee. She enjoys ensuring student success and researching interactions among diversity, oppression, and health.