Scarlett Mera

Scarlett is a bilingual Spanish-speaking, duly licensed professional as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addiction & Drug Counselor, who earned her graduate degree in Social Work from Columbia University in 2009, and is a proud alumna from Rutgers University where she double-majored in Political Science and Criminal Justice.

Scarlett started her social work career at Hackensack Meridian Health Carrier Clinic as a psychiatric social worker in the Adolescent Unit. During her tenure at Carrier, Scarlett became part of the Carrier’s Joint Commission Mock Committee, the Revenue Task Force and made a priority to mentor and supervise social work interns. She became SIFI certified in 2012. Since then, she has coached multiple interns on a yearly basis from various universities.  Additionally, Scarlett worked as an in-home therapist, where she provided individual counseling and family therapy to Spanish-speaking children, adolescents, and families. She also had the opportunity to work as a mental health screener at RWJBarnabas Health Somerset Hospital, where she became very knowledgeable in screening law and in the involuntary commitment process.

Currently, Scarlett is a clinical contractor/program supervisor for the Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care (UBHC) HUD-VASH Program, which serves the homeless veteran population and it provides assistance in securing permanent housing. Most recently, she was selected to start in the Leadership Academy Program at UBHC.  In Scarlett’s free time, she enjoys running, skiing, Latin dancing, and especially drinking a good cup of coffee next to her beautiful cat, Minka.

Doctoral programs are rigorous and demanding, and it's not uncommon to see high student dropout rates ranging from 30% to 50%. Students cannot survive the program alone. They require a strong support network, including having their significant others to lean on throughout the educational process. Furthermore, support systems also indirectly experience the doctoral pursuit, albeit in different ways. Thus, the student and their significant others go through the process in parallel and collectively during the student’s academic pursuit.