Amittia Parker

Amittia Parker
  • LMSW, MPA, PhD
  • Doctoral Graduate
  • Adjunct Faculty
she/her/hers

Contact Info

Edwards Campus
Lawrence
Jayhawk Global

Personal Links

Biography —

Amittia Parker, PhD, LMSW, MPA, IMH-E® Specialist is a researcher, trainer, and mama scholar. She is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University. She provides training and technical assistance for the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety. Her research, scholarship, and service focuses on advancing minority mental health and equity, particularly among families that are pregnant and parenting young children. Amittia has worked for 15 years as a mental health consultant across a variety of settings, including home-based services, childcare centers, school-based services, and health clinics. This practice experience inspires her research on Black maternal mental health, mental health in higher education, behavioral health services, and natural helping. She serves in leadership roles in local, state, and national venues focused on infant and early childhood mental health, Black communities, and Black social workers.

Dissertation: Support Across Contexts: A Grounded Theory Study on Mental Health and Supports Among African American Mothers

Education —

Ph.D., University of Kansas, 2021
Endorsement: Infant Mental Health Specialist, Level III (IMH-E ® ) Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship Focused Pr

Research —

Maternal Mental Health, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Racial Disparities among Blacks and Latin/x Communities, Mental Health and Higher Education, Community Based Participatory Research, and Prevention Science

Teaching —

Amittia is committed to preparing and supporting the next generation of social workers, and infant mental health practitioners with a particular interest in recruiting, training, and mentoring students of color. Amittia’s teaching experience includes teaching fully online, blended, and in-person courses within the undergraduate and graduate programs.

Areas of interest include: Racial Equity and Social Justice, Practice with Black and Latino Communities, Practice with Children and Families/Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Communities and Organizations, Spirituality in Social Work, Leadership in Social Work, and Qualitative Methods.

Selected Publications —

Parker A. (2024). She Wears the Mask. In Barron A and Wilson K (Eds.) Honoring Voices in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: Relationship-based Stories from the Field. Zero to Three.

Meunweisen A, Shea S, Eaves T, Parker A, Barron C, and Paradis N. (2023). Reflective Supervision and Consultation: The State of the Field and Future Directions. WAIMH Handbook of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Volume 2: Cultural Context, Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment in Infant Mental Health.

Parker A & Kepple NJ. (2023) Examining religious orientation of facilities within the substance use system of care, Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2023.2229764

Parker, A. Just Help Me: A Research Poem by Black Mothers. Qualitative Inquiry. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004221087684.

Wright K., Akin B, Byers K, McCall S, Alford D, Parker A., ... & Rush R. Using Institutional Analysis to Examine the Systemic Sources of Racial Disproportionality and Disparity: A Case Example. Child Welfare. 2022:99-136. 

Parker A, Support across contexts: A grounded theory study on mental health and supports among black mothers. Ann Arbor: University of Kansas; 2021. 222. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2555421670?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true

Parker A. Black social workers matter: Using parallel narratives to discuss social work history, Journal of Social Work Education. 2022. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10437797.2021.2019634

Parker A, Reframing the narrative: Black maternal mental health and culturally meaningful support for wellness. Infant Mental Health Journal. 2021 Jan 20:1-15.

Parker, A., Johnson-Motoyama M., Mariscal, S.E., Guillamo-Ramos, V., Reynoso, E., & Fernandez, C. (2020). Community health workers addressing reproductive health disparities in immigrant Latino communities through an evidence based intervention: An implementation study. Health & Social Work.

Parker, A. & Blackwell, A. Capturing Context: The role of social support and neighborhood on the psychological well-being of African American families. (2019). Urban Social Work.

Kepple, N.J., Parker, A., Whitemore, S., & Comtois, M. (2019). Nowhere to go? Examining facility tolerance levels for serving individuals using medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 104, 42-50.

Kepple, N.J. & Parker, A. (2018, September). Moving Towards a More Responsive Substance Use Disorder Continuum of Care: A Comprehensive Community Needs Assessment for the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas.

Parker, A. (2020, August). Social Work Student Mental Health and Supports: Recommendations for a Culture of Mental Health. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas.

Selected Presentations —

Parker A, Castestellanos N, Perry D, Mitchell S, and Hartz Mandell K. (2024). Symposium, Exploring How Race, Equity, and Racialized Experiences Arise in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. The Administration for Children and Families National Research Conference on Early Childhood (NRCEC). (Referred). Arlington, VA. 2024 June 26.

Parker A, Castestellanos N, Perry D, Mitchell S, and Hartz Mandell K. (2024). Equity-Centric Growth: Co-Creating an Evaluation Protocol for Expanding Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Services. The Administration for Children and Families National Research Conference on Early Childhood (NRCEC). (Referred). Arlington, VA. 2024 June 25.

Parker A. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Inspiring Hope and Healing in Head Start Programs. Oral Presentation, National Association of Black Social Workers, African Centered Social Work: Transforming Lives and Communities, New Orleans, LA (Referred). 2024March 28.

Shivers E., Parker A., & Norona C. ‘Results from the National Digging Deeper Study: Decolonizing Reflective Supervision in IECMHC. Center of Excellence: Equity from the Start. Virtual Conference. 2023 October 10. 

Eidson F, Shivers E, Jansen J, Parker A. Exploring Equity in Reflective Supervision: A Deeper Dive. 18th World Congress for the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH 2023). Convention Centre Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland. 2023 July 16.

Parker A. Advancing Health Equity: Head Start Services as a Black Maternal Health and Mental Health Intervention. Oral Presentation, National Association of Black Social Workers, African Centered Social Work: Transforming Lives and Communities, Chicago, IL (Referred). 2023 April 5.

Parker A. Just Help Me: Solutions for Black Maternal Mental Health. Poster Presentation, Society of Social Work Research Conference, Social Work Science and Complex Problems: Battling Inequities + Building Solutions, Phoenix, AZ. (Refereed/Withdrawn). 2023 January 13.

Ribaudo J, Harty J, Isarowong N, Parker A, and Walsh T. Parenting and Caregiving in the Early Years - Who Are We Leaving out? Roundtable, Society of Social Work Research Conference, Social Work Science and Complex Problems: Battling Inequities + Building Solutions, Phoenix, AZ. (Refereed). 2023 January 15.

Parker A. Just Help Me: A Research Poem by Black Moms. Shades of Blue Inaugural Conference: Black Maternal Health and Mental Health Symposium, Houston (Refereed). 2022 July 20.

Parker A. Centering Black Mothers in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation's Inaugural Conference: Equity from the Start, Virtual (Refereed). 2022 March 21

Parker, A. (2020, June 11). Supports Across Contexts: Examining Support that Enhances Maternal Mental Health Among African American Mothers with Young Children. Poster Presentation, 17th World Congress of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, Creating Stories in Infant Mental health: Research, Recovery, and Regeneration, Brisbane, Australia (Refereed/Cancelled).

Parker, A. (2020, April 14). Maternal Mental Health and Supports: An African Centered Literature Review. Poster Presentation, Presented at National Association of Black Social Workers Conference, Maat: African-Centered Values and Practical Healing Tools, Detroit, M.I. (Refereed/Conference Cancelled).

Parker, A. (2020, January 16). Toward a More Culturally Specific Understanding of Maternal Mental Health Disparities Among African American Mothers with Young Children. What's Race Got to Do with It? an Intersectional Examination of Racial and Economic Disparities in Maternal and Child Health Symposium, Society of Social Work Research Conference, Reducing Race and Economic Inequality, Washington, D.C. (Refereed).

Parker, A. (2019, October 26). Capturing Contexts linked to Psychological Wellbeing among African American Families. Presented at Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting. Looking Back, Looking Forward, Denver, C.O. (Refereed).

Marsh, J., Jones, K., & Parker, A. (2019, October 27). Student Mental Health and Field Education. Presented at Council on Social Work Education Annual Program Meeting. Looking Back, Looking Forward, Denver, C.O. (Refereed).

Parker, A. & Kepple, N.J. (2019, January 18). Understanding the Community Context of Housing Services for Individuals in Recovery from Substance Use Disorder By Facility Spiritual-Orientation. Poster Presentation, Society of Social Work Research Conference, Ending Gender Based, Family and Community Violence, San Francisco, C.A. (Refereed).

Awards & Honors —

  • 2024: Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE) Best Conceptual Article Volume 59
  • 2021: Dean Kondrat Award for Outstanding PhD Student, University of Kansas
  • 2021: Alice Eberhart Wright Visionary Award, Kansas Association of Infant Mental Health
  • 2019-2021: Minority Fellowship Program, Council on Social Work Education ($48,000)
  • 2020: Doctoral Student Research Fund Dissertation Award ($1,500)
  • 2020: SSWR 2020 Doctoral Student Travel Award, Society for Social Work Research ($500)
  • 2019: Eisenhower Roberts Graduate Fellowship, Eisenhower Institute ($10,000)
  • 2019: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dissertation Award, KU SSW ($1,000)
  • 2019: SSWR 2019 Doctoral Student Travel Award, Society for Social Work Research ($500)
  • 2018: Graduate Studies Summer Research Scholarship, University of Kansas ($5,000)
  • 2018: Award for Advancing Minority Mental Health, APA Foundation ($5,000)
  • 2017: Graduate Studies Diversity Fellowship, University of Kansas ($18,000)
  • 2011: Edward A. Smith Leadership in Public Service, University of Missouri-KC
  • 2006: Margo Award for Outstanding Performance in Field, University of Kansas

Grants & Other Funded Activity —

  • 2020: Intersectionality Qualitative Research Methods Workshop, University of Texas-Austin
  • 2019: Summer Workshop on Black and Latinx Research, University of Michigan ($1000)
  • 2018: Dissertation Proposal Workshop, Howard’s CRW and the Institute for Research on Poverty
  • 2018: Social Justice Fellows Program, University of Kansas

Memberships —

  • Kansas City Association of Black Social Workers
  • Kansas Association of Infant Mental Health