Multimedia Projects

Cultivating Connections: Strategies for Supporting Youth Mental Health in Schools

Philanthropy and Social Work

After They Leave: Understanding Post Separation Violence and Abuse (PSV&A)

The Living Experience of Adult Adoptees: Coming Out of the Fog

Building a Lifeline for Trans College Students: A Call to Action

Critical Race Theory and Counter-storytelling: Understanding the Lived Experiences of African American Men in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment

Offering Hope for Veterans Experiencing Moral Injury

Navigating as One in Doctoral Studies: A Student and Significant Others’ Collective Journey

The Significance of Clinical Supervision

Let’s Talk South Asian Mental Health

The Color of Treatment: The Importance of Discussing Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in Treatment

Educators: Are you Coping or Just Surviving?

Helping Your Adolescent Find Healing & Psychotherapy

Adversary or Ally? Help for Teachers of Students with Disabilities to Navigate Parent Partnerships

Is My Child’s Online Behavior a Problem? A Parent’s Guide to Help Navigate Adolescent Screen Addiction Utilizing the Four M Model

Integrating Cultural Factors When Working with Latino Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

The Private Pain Of Patients With Vaginismus: Sharing Snapshots Of Their Secret Story With Social Workers 

MCW Model: Using Mindfulness, Compassion, and Wisdom to Help Therapists Manage Difficult Sessions

Addressing the Crisis in College Mental Health

Underdiagnosed grief: An Assessment Framework for Health Social Workers

Bringing Polyvagal Theory into Clinical Practice

Equine-Assisted Social Work (EASW): Complementing Traditional Social Work Practice

Connections Beyond Borders: Working with Refugee and Unaccompanied Youth in Schools

This MMP will follow the journey of unaccompanied youth by discussing the three stages of migration, the risks, and protective factors throughout all stages. In addition, the unique migratory grief and loss experiences of refugee and unaccompanied youth will be discussed. 

Not Just Me? Helping Women Recover from Post Infidelity Trauma

In this MMP, I will provide a brief overview of the literature supporting the conceptualization of infidelity as trauma. 

Offsetting Racial Divides: Zero-Tolerance School Suspensions and Restorative Justice Practices

In this MMP, I will provide a brief overview of zero-tolerance school suspensions, the use of this practice, and disparities in race and gender. Case examples of "Elias" and "Thomas" will be presented to contextualize adolescent Black males' lived experiences and inequities of this approach

Strengthening Black-White Married Couples

This MMP will examine the specific challenges experienced by Black-White couples and the strategies they implement to maintain marital stability. Testimonies from Black-White couples along with a discussion of interventions will be offered for social workers providing marital and pre-marital services.

PEERS: A Model for the Provision of Quality to Peer Support Workers

In this MMP, the field of peer support is a rapidly expanding field in the helping professions. However, the provision of quality supervision to peer support workers (PSW) remains an unmet challenge. The struggle to adequately provide supervision often leads to a high turnover rate among programs that employ the evidence-based practice of peer support.

The TransParent Journey

This MMP describes the many emotions experienced by families, including the three Gs described as the grief, the guilt, and the gift, presented in personal interview narratives. Transgender history, acceptable language, current statistics on violence and suicide, top questions to prepare clinicians, best practice guidelines, and the benefits of advocacy will also be explored, as will resources to help guide families.

Forced Marriage in the United States

This MMP will share aspects of my exploratory research with forced marriage survivors who were interviewed to examine the survivor’s family history and how it facilitated or hindered their ability to leave the marriage. These findings inform current projects aimed to expand clinical, legal, and policy supports for forced marriage survivors.

Adult Sibling Loss

In this MMP, of all forms of familial loss, siblings are the least studied. When a death occurs, siblings are often ignored because the focus is directed toward parents, spouses, and surviving children. This invalidation can negatively impact the grief responses of adult siblings and cause short and long-term consequences.

Raising Deaf Children: A Resource Guide for Parents. In this MMP, ninety to ninety-five percent of d/Deaf children are born to hearing-abled parents, and these children are often the first d/Deaf person their parents meet. Many hearing-abled parents opt to use spoken and heard/lipread language with their d/Deaf child. Despite significant technological advances, oral and aural communication is often frustrating or inaccessible to d/Deaf people.

In this MMP, Hospitals are harsh environments whose demands test social workers, particularly during the care of patients experiencing homelessness.

Helping Teachers Recognize Trauma Symptoms and Manage Dysregulation

In this MMP, I will identify behavioral reactions of children with trauma histories, and present interventions, helpful for any dysregulated child, including those without trauma. Children with trauma histories often display behaviors of hyperactivity, aggression, or inattention.  However, they may, more accurately, be having a trauma response. 

Foodways, Social Identity, and Health

This MMP will examine the impact of African foodways and their connection to social identity and health in the Black community. Food choices have and continue to be a way for Blacks to maintain a sense of social identity, and they can evoke feelings of nostalgia and pride.

Self-care and Elder Care: How to help a caregiver care for themself while they care for an elderly person

In this MMP, deciding when and how to step in to help an elderly family member, especially when they live far away or are emotionally distant, can be difficult. This website offers understanding and ideas for accessing support.

Thinking About Getting Your Doctor of Social Work Degree (DSW)?

This MMP will examine the history behind the DSW. Learn when the degree was first conferred and the ebbs and flows of the degree’s prominence over time. Examine the current state of the DSW and the emergence of programs. Discover information about the various programs offered across the country

Best Practices in Responding to FGM/C Cases in the United States

In this MMP, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is often thought of as an isolated cultural practice occurring only outside of the U.S. In reality, FGM/C is a growing problem in the U.S. and many girls are at risk. Recent statistics have shown that 513,000 girls and women in the United States today have either undergone or are at risk of FGM/C (Goldberg, et al., 2016).

Treating Veterans Who Have Committed Sex Offenses: Approaches for General Outpatient Settings

This MMP will increase participants' awareness of the needs of this population and provide assessment and treatment strategies. In the United States, Veterans are over-represented among adults incarcerated for sex offenses. After incarceration, these Veterans present to Veterans Affairs hospitals with unique clinical needs.

Emerging Adults, Emerging Activists: A College Activism Retrospective and Practitioners Guide

This MMP is a portal into the lives of students and professionals who are all grappling with the concept of activism. 

Advocating for Gender Diverse Clients with Eating Disorders as Cisgender Providers

This MMP will prepare cisgender providers to advocate on behalf of gender diverse clients with eating disorders. Discussion will focus on key terminology, factors contributing to eating disorder development in this population, and advocacy tips accessible to providers of varying skill levels.

Unlocking Homelessness in the Classroom

In this MMP, homelessness is an experience that can impact anyone. No matter their age, race, background, or ability, individuals and families can get caught in a cycle of poverty and homelessness. Despite a growing need of qualified helping professionals to engage with this community, few social work classes at any level devote much time or attention to this issue

Working Autism, Visualizing Employment

This MMP will reveal how using a strengths-based approach is effective in addressing barriers faced by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The goal of this presentation is to show how individuals with ASD can live more fulfilling lives if given the opportunity to utilize their strengths. 

The Impacts of Stigma, Motherhood and Environmental Supports on Opioid Using Pregnant Women’s Recovery

In this MMP, the information presented will examine the phenomena through which the women can be enabled to overcome known obstacles-- such as stigma, guilt and the related trauma--and engage in treatment, to move into successful recovery. 

Digital Life: Helping Teens Navigate a Digital World

In this MMP, adolescents are developing while constantly exposed to technology, using various platforms both academically and socially.  

College & Beyond: How Parents Can Impact Success​

In this MMP, Identify ways mental health providers can assist emerging adults and their families as they enter this new stage development. Identify possible reasons why college counseling centers are noticing a significant increase in severe symptomatology and in the demand for mental health services.

How Social Workers Assess and Treat Clients Undergoing a Spiritually

This MMP discusses the findings of a small, exploratory qualitative study of licensed social workers, who work with individuals who have undergone a spiritually transformative experience (STE). 

You Can Go to College; Increasing Persistence Through Access

In this MMP, I will describe the challenges and barriers to college completion for students of color, and present factors and key access points that can increase persistence. 

Reentry, Grief and Loss: Addressing Unmet Mental Health Needs of Women Offenders​

In this MMP, experiencing the loss of a loved one under any circumstances can be challenging. For women who are incarcerated the outward expression of grief and emotion is often suppressed due to fear of receiving sanctions and being placed in restrictive housing. 

Sex Trafficking in the USA: Voices from Here at Home in New Jersey 

In this MMP I will illustrate how helping professionals can effectively engage and advocate for DMST victims at the early stages of identification and also foster a safe, accepting therapeutic space to assist these clients in trust building and identify formation.

Where Did My Child Go? Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS)​

In this MMP, I will describe symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and recommended treatment modalities for clinical social workers to work with children and their families affected by PANDAS, Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus.

Unsung Losses:  Combating Suicide in Military Populations

In this MMP, I will describe the combination of risk factors and challenges to help-seeking behavior of military members.

School Social Workers: Operating at the Intersection of Education and Mental Health

In this MMP, I will provide an overview of the integration of mental health services within the education system, the prevalence of current mental health challenges affecting students.

Clinical Advocacy Model

In this MMP, I preset the Clinical Advocacy Model (CAM) supports clinical advocacy acuity and competency as an integral part of prioritizing clients’ dual needs for mental healthcare and social justice as they present themselves.

A Social Work Response to a Multigenerational Work Place: Taking A.C.T.I.O.N Against Ageism

In this MMP, I describe the complex experiences the aging workforce is living through today. Assess for the continued ways the aging workforce can contribute, such as through reverse mentorship opportunities, thereby lessening the existence of age discrimination in the workplace.

Exploring Unwanted Consensual Sex: A Qualitative Pilot Study​

In this MMP, consenting to sex is a complicated psychological, political, and social issue. Because the legal system does not classify consensual sex as rape, there is a mistaken assumption that consent is an either/or issue

Supporting Students Living in Out-of-Home Placements ​

In this MMP, students living in out-of-home placements, such as foster or kinship care, are at-risk for academic challenges. 

What Works in Therapy

Research has proven that psychotherapy is effective. Despite hundreds of treatment models, no model has proven superior. Why?

Screen Smart Counseling

I present innovative approaches to infusing technology and social media into clinical practice with adolescents and young adults.

Positive Psychology for Families

I present some of the core concepts of Positive Psychology and the research behind these concepts. 

Cultural Sensitivity with Orthodox Jews in Therapy

This MMP will highlight therapeutic issues arising in therapy with Orthodox Jews. 

Creating a Safe Haven: Gang Prevention in Schools

This MMP presents an overview of gang prevention in schools, including the risk and protective factors, warning signs, major gang breakdowns, leaving a gang, gangs as family, and possible components of gang prevention programs in schools.

Recognizing Student Trauma: A Trauma Informed Guide for School Staff

In this MMP, I will define trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and describe how these experiences negatively affect the brain and behavior.

Discussing Challenges in Housing Women Veterans Who Are Single Parents

I present an overview of the challenges facing homeless women Veterans who are single parents.

Internship: High-Impact Experiential Learning

In this MMP, I present research on what makes an internship a high-impact learning experience.  I emphasize the technique of reflection by utilizing the concept of Reflection-in-Action. 

Demystify the Mental Health System and the Therapeutic Process

My MMP serves as a portal for consumers to access information about therapy and treatment within the mental health system. Podcasts will be used to share knowledge from experts in the field of therapy and treatment.

Understanding Field Placement Anxiety: Embracing Vulnerability as a Learning Tool

I introduce the concept of field education anxiety, with a particular emphasis on social work students’ field learning processes.

Psychotherapy for Anxiety & Addictions

In this MMP, I present an overview of the current and most prevalent methods to aide clients with Substance Use Disorders (SUD’s) in the US, with a special emphasis on both the positive attributes and the significant gaps in these services

Undocumented and Ill: Navigating Cancer, Treatment, and Trauma

This MMP presents an overview of the challenges experienced by undocumented migrants in the medical system. I will introduce the concept of trauma-informed practice, and assert the need for trauma-informed medical care when working with undocumented migrants.

The Sensory Perspective

Sensory processing theory (SPT) (Ayers, 2005) describes the sensory systems within the body and how processing senses enables productivity and security. Differences in sensory processing affects overall development in children (Dunn, 1997)

The Opioid Crisis: What Is It? How Did It Happen? Where Do We Go From Here?

In the United States, 2.1 million people have an opioid use disorder (HHS, 2018). In 2017, there were 28,466 deaths linked to the use of opioids (HHS, 2017). 

The Experience of Aging: Exploring, Understanding, and Supporting

This MMP will explore the experience of aging as reported by the testimonies of older adults. 

Trauma-Informed Infertility Treatment

I will present a call for trauma-informed care within the field of reproductive endocrinology. I will present an overview of SAMHSA’s six principles of trauma-informed care with an emphasis on considerations that are particularly relevant to working with women in infertility and reproductive endocrinology settings.

Growing Up Digital

Social workers and parents are often only exposed to negative and fear-inducing challenges of helping young people navigate the digital world. This can lead practitioners to respond to adolescent experiences as causes for clinical concern and alarm. 

Transitioning to Community Support Services (CSS)

The focus of this multi-media project is to examine the role of fee-for-service in mental health and the unintended consequences that occur on the frontline.

The Social Work Think Tank

Clinical Social Work as Activism explores the intersections between clinical practice and social welfare policy so as to illuminate the opportunities we have to be more active in social welfare policy change, and to improve our clinical practice through engagement with macro level issues.

For God's Sake: Spiritual Assessment, Social Work, and the Gay Community

While it is well know that the LGBTQ community has had a long and often difficult relationship with organized religion, little has been written about the need for spiritual assessments with lesbians or gay men in clinical social work practice. 

Saving Black Marriages

As a licensed clinical social worker specializing in couples therapy, I find that African American couples yearn for stable, loving, and lasting relationships. 

Social Work Self-Reflection: Naming Manifestations of White Supremacy

Social Work Self-Reflection: Naming Manifestations of White supremacy strives to help White social workers critically reflect on their relationship with white supremacy, how this relationship impacts their practice, and how it can be changed.

Coping With a Life-Changing Diagnosis

By sharing our family’s story through an interactive website with written posts, pictures, audio and video, I hope to gently connect with parents with children going through this life-changing process in an effort to offer support, guidance and information.

every single kid: empowering kids with incarcerated parents

Everysinglekid.org addresses the gap in awareness and understanding about the difficulties that children with incarcerated parents face. The websites provides psychoeducation about areas of need, potential adverse health and behavior outcomes, and an explanation of the theories driving interventions for children with incarcerated parents.

Savia Community Counseling Services 

It has been established that in-home counseling reduces some of the barriers of for poor children and their families in accessing necessary services.

Men At Risk: How Expectations About Masculinity Hurt Men

I plan to address how stereotypical expectations of masculinity develop; how these stereotypes hurt men’s views of the world; how acknowledging privilege has both positive and negative effects on identity; and how the perpetuation of masculine scripts gives rise to psychological distress.

Women in Indian Country

Native women of the USA and Canada face profound universal marginalization, the  result of colonization and a history of systematic oppression, widespread violence and blame.

Shame Explained

Shame-explained.com addresses the problem of how shame operates as a hindrance or healing agent in psychotherapy, and, in particular, the therapist’s role in preventing therapeutic stalemates and failures due to shame.

Self-Care University

The goal of this project is to create a Self-Care tool accessible to all students in the university community. Using a web-based program gives students who may not engage in traditional face-to-face counseling the opportunity to be engaged in mental health interventions (Wagner, Lipson, Sandy, Eisenberg, 2014).

Brain Trauma 101

BrainTrauma101.com guides the consumer through brain injury by introducing patient narratives that shed light on the family experience. The narratives are told through multimedia timelines.

Wanted for Warrants

This multi-media project is dedicated to exploring the issues of criminal justice reform, criminal justice debt, and the criminalization of poverty.  The entanglement of the criminal justice system, poverty, race, policing practices, and incarceration will be examined.

Circle of Insight

The see-reflect-act Circle of Insight process (Nicotera, 2018) can serve as a framework for response to social work’s social justice definitional and pedagogical challenges.

Empathy in the Context of Racial Bias

The ability to exercise empathy in the context of the cross-racial therapeutic dyad is essential to positive treatment outcomes.  However, the capacity to demonstrate empathy is especially challenging when the psychotherapist is African American or non-White and working with a White patient who expresses White supremacy or racial bias.

Finding Hope In Cancer Through Creative Expression

The purpose of findinghopeincancer.com is to explore research and patient experiences of the use of art, music, and writing as tools for emotional healing, for individuals living with and beyond cancer.

Narrative Therapy With Offenders In A Group Setting

The purpose of this multi-media project is to explore the use of narrative therapy with offenders in a group setting.  Narrative therapy is a collaborative approach in both individual and group therapy that centers patients as the experts in their own lives.