NYU Professor Pia Hargrove Hosts ‘Color Me Well’ Workshop to Focus on Mental Health, Racial Trauma

The licensed master social worker was one of this year’s presenters at the NASW New York City Chapter Virtual Conference.

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA, July 26, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When it comes to collective healing, social workers are seeing a major trend in mental health post-COVID. For many New York City communities, more racial trauma is emerging from racial reckoning, global unrest, and environmental degradation, and it requires new tools and strategies for support.

As an activist, community cultivator, and educator, Pia Hargrove, also known as “Professor Pia,” featured a specially curated program on how professionals and students can better acknowledge underlying institutionalized racism and trauma while engaging in social work practice.

The session titled, “Color Me Well: Mental Health and Racial Trauma” took place June 6 during the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) New York City Chapter’s annual virtual continuing education conference.

Through a combination of lecture, reflective exercises, and small group discussions, participants gained new insight on how to implement strategies for community and political advocacy in advancing large-scale mental health initiatives and restorative racial justice. According to Hargrove, a key component of collective healing is recognizing the importance of self-care.

“My hope is that program attendees will walk away equipped with tools for not only engaging with BIPOC communities impacted by trauma but those for their own self-care on the journey,” she said.

Professor Pia is no stranger to community advocacy. The Brooklyn native founded the non-profit Creating Legacies in 2012 to better assist local neighborhoods. Her organization practices community building though entrepreneurship and offers social and educational experiences such as seminars on personal growth and development and financial literacy.

NASW chapter’s conference was held June 5-6 online and focused on the theme, “Walk the Walk: Social Work Practice in Action.” The event included speaking presentations, workshops, networking opportunities, and sponsorship exhibits.

About Professor Pia Hargrove: New York licensed master social worker Pia Hargrove is an award-winning educator, speaker, and activist with over two decades of experience serving diverse communities. As a professor at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work she mentors and advises on the needs of immigrant communities and those reflective of the African   Diaspora. Outside the lecture hall, over 800,000 listeners tune into her monthly segment “Mental Health First Fridays,” on Caribbean Power Jam’s radio show, “The Reset.” Hargrove’s other speaking engagements include voicing the film “Semata,” for the international exhibit, “An Archaeology of Disability” in addition to appearing as a guest on podcasts and other online platforms. In 2012 she founded the non-profit organization Creating Legacies, which inspires community building through nurturing entrepreneurs and offering families diverse social and educational experiences. The following year, Hargrove became a children’s author publishing the book, Celebrate Smiles. As an activist, she ran for New York City Council in 2017 and continues community organizing through leadership in several civic organizations including the New York City Hate Crimes Review Panel.    

About the National Association of Social Workers: The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. It consists of 55 chapters across the U.S. and its territories in addition to welcoming international members. The NASW’s mission is to enhance professional growth and development and create and maintain professional standards for social workers as it advances sound social policies. 

Farah M. Saunders
Ambiance Media Group
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