A professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) has received a $550,000 grant to address the mental health needs of underserved communities of the Bronx.
The grant was a renewal of previous grants—five in all—awarded by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for GSE’s Clinical Mental Health Services in the Bronx Community (CCMH) program. The CCMH program supports the mental health of students in the Bronx, ages 7 to 17, and their families through telehealth counseling sessions and workshops.
“Amidst the current uncertain and polarizing sociopolitical landscape in the U.S., I am grateful to remain grounded through this grant as the CCMH team continues to accompany our clients in need,” said Eric C. Chen, Ph.D., a GSE professor of counseling psychology who directs the program.
“It aligns with Fordham’s Jesuit priorities of transformative learning and driving purpose and reinforces our commitment to ensuring that our work matters to others.”
The project, which first launched in 2021, is staffed by GSE master’s and doctoral students who work with students from 122 Bronx schools. The Mother Cabrini Foundation has contributed $1.7 million in funding since CCMH’s founding.
The new grant is notable because it allows Chen to expand the scope of the project.
This coming fall, two interns selected from the mental health counseling program will join the CCMH program. Once they receive training, the interns will conduct intake assessments and individual counseling for youth and adults, and also conduct workshops. An intern who speaks Arabic has already been selected, expanding services to English, Spanish, and Arabic speakers, many of whom are newly arrived immigrants.
The program will also continue to work closely with the seven Bronx community organizations that it partners with, including immigrant and disability rights advocacy groups Masa, Coalición Mexicana, and Sinergia.
A Lifeline for the Unheard
Maria Sol Anyosa, a doctoral student in GSE’s school psychology program who has conducted telehealth sessions with CCMH, called it “a lifeline for a community that often goes unheard, unseen, and underserved.”
“Being part of CCMH has allowed me to connect with individuals and families who carry immense burdens in silence, from trauma and grief to systemic inequities,” she said, noting that many clients come from undocumented families.
“These families live in constant fear, navigating unique and isolating challenges while doing everything in their power to create a better future for their children. Their resilience, courage, and strength have touched me deeply, reminding me why I chose this field and how vital it is to provide compassionate, accessible care.”
Jolene Trimm, Ph.D., GSE ’23, a post-doctoral fellow at Milestones Psychology who worked at CCMH as a GSE student, credited the program with helping her sharpen and gain skills and allowing her to grow from a clinical counselor to a supervisor.
“I have worked with CCMH from its start, and it has been amazing to see such real-world, very impactful work grow rapidly in a short time,” she said.
“Fordham prepared me to be both a researcher and clinician, with the hopes that I would use my knowledge to support the needs of diverse individuals in the community. CCMH has allowed me to do just that.”
