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Minority Fellowship Program

Ø      A federally funded program to support doctoral training of Marriage and Family Therapists in mental health and substance abuse services

Ø      To enhance the provision of culturally competent mental health and substance abuse services provided to minority and underserved populations

About the Minority Fellowship Program

The AAMFT Minority Fellowship Program's objective is to expand the delivery of culturally competent mental health and substance abuse services to underserved minority populations by increasing the number of culturally competent minority Marriage and Family therapists. Our goal is to do this by providing financial support and professional guidance to individuals pursuing doctoral degrees in Marriage and Family therapy. Our mission–consistent with the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health and other federal initiatives to reduce health disparities—is to increase the pool of talented, culturally competent doctoral-level researchers, teachers and practitioners dedicated to assisting underserved minorities.

 Funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), AAMFT has created the Minority Fellowship Program to support the training of practitioners or practitioner/researchers in mental health and substance abuse services, treatment and prevention. This fellowship program is directed at Marriage and Family Therapy doctoral students who are committed to research about and service to minority and underserved populations.

 An MFP fellowship is more than a simple scholarship that only provides financial support. An MFP fellowship is a professional training appointment into a community of other students and professionals who hold similar professional interests. Indeed, the MFP provides stipends, or living allowances, to students who hold the fellowships. However, we also facilitate professional development and provide professional guidance with the aim of moving students towards high achievement in areas related to minority mental health research and services.

 Basic Eligibility

Ø      Applicants must be American citizens or permanent residents with an permanent residents registration card (I-151 or I-551). Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.

Ø      Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to a career in  minority mental health and substance abuse services. This commitment must be demonstrated in the application essays, graduate school curriculum or training plan, practicum and internship training experiences, and thesis and dissertation topics developed.

Ø      Applicants should be enrolled full-time in a doctoral program.

Ø      African American, Alaskan Native, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students are especially encouraged to apply.

Ø      This fellowship is aimed at Marriage and Family Therapy doctoral students specializing in providing substance abuse and mental health services to minority and underserved populations.

 MFP Benefits

Ø      Financial Support (2 year maximum. Must be renewed annually)

v     $20,000.00 stipend per student/per year to be used for all related costs of doctoral program attendance and training.

Ø      Travel support to the AAMFT Conference

v     Reimbursement of up to $1500.00 to cover all costs of attendance at the AAMFT Annual Conference--attendance at the conference will provide continuing education and cross-collaboration with faculty and other leaders in the field, as well as an opportunity to present their work.

Ø      AAMFT training opportunities and enrichment experiences

v     Reimbursement of up to $3500.00 to augment the students’ doctoral training with additional AAMFT provided or approved training specific to providing mental health and substance abuse services to minority and underserved populations.

Ø      Access to information and resources.

Ø      Lifetime network of professional association with Marriage and Family Therapists interested in ethnic minority mental health and services.

Welcome from the Minority Fellowship Program (click here)

Minority Fellowship Program Brochure (click here)

Application and Deadline

Applicants should begin by reviewing the application procedures found by clicking here.

Required documents to be mailed to the MFP office:

• Brief Cover Letter (no more than 1 page)
• Application Form - Click here to download the Application Form
• Two Essays
• Curriculum Vita/Resume
• Three recommendation letters (with Recommendation Forms - click here to download the Recommendation Form)

• Official Transcripts
• GRE Scores (If no GRE scores were required for your program, please provide documentation)

DEADLINE: TBA.  All application materials must be post marked by TBA in order to be considered.

Important AAMFT/MFP Links:

Minority Fellowship Program FAQ's

Minority Fellowship Program Staff Information

Minority Fellowship Program Director's Biography

Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Committee

Minority Fellowship Program Current Fellows

Advisory Committee Login - Click Here

For more information, contact:

Àdisà Àjàmú

Program Manager

Minority Fellowship Program

American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy

112 S. Alfred Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

(703) 253-0473 Ofc.

(703) 253-0508 Fax

aajamu@aamft.org Email

 For a printable version of this announcement, please click here.

Links to Important Sites

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Other Minority Fellowship Programs:

• American Psychological Association

• American Nurses Association

• American Psychiatric Association

• Council on Social Work Education