Katrina Edmonds is a two-time doctoral fellow in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 class of the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) with the Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems (FAHS). Katrina received a B.S. in psychology from Ursinus College in 2001 and an M.F.T. from Drexel University in 2003. Currently, Katrina is a doctoral student in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Eastern University. Katrina is a certified life coach and mentor and an approved supervisor by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). With over 20 years of experience, her research interests include parenting, communication, genograms, medical family therapy (MFT), family systems, and the impact of incarceration on the family. In addition to her academic pursuits, Katrina is a licensed marriage and family therapist who provides services through her private practice Be Set Free Counseling Ministry and Education Center, serving individuals and families in the greater Philadelphia area.
Katrina was initially introduced to the program through a mentor who shared the program’s opportunities for professional growth and continued mentorship. She shared, “One of my long-time mentors told me that I should apply for the Minority Fellowship Program. She stated that the MFP could provide a rich training, research, and mentorship experience to my existing clinical experiences. Personally and professionally, I am at a place in my career where I desire to do more to impact my community and profession, and the MFP sounded like a wonderful training program to lay the blueprint for this to happen.”
Reflecting on how the MFP has enriched her academic and professional career, Katrina shared that her experience as a fellow has provided tremendous opportunities for growth and educational development. She stated, “The relationships I have made and the trainings I have received have unlocked pieces of myself I could not have imagined. I want to teach and conduct research now and am excited about this trajectory. I have been avoiding this path for years and after this year with the MFP, a fire and confidence to do this work and love it has emerged.”
Participating in the MFP allows Katrina opportunities to build and nurture her professional network. She said, “I have been surrounded by brilliant masters and doctoral fellows and mentors. This group of scholars and professionals not only motivates you to succeed but also to collaborate so we can get more accomplished. I am a better scholar and clinician because of the conversations and connections made through the MFP.”
Katrina plans to apply the knowledge and skills acquired through the MFP to her professional and academic endeavors and hopes to use them to assist future clinicians. She shared, “I have been using the knowledge and mentorship to shape projects that I am writing currently, and classes I hope to teach in the future. I'm using the skills to sharpen my skill set as a clinical supervisor.”
Katrina recently finished a project that focused on integrating mental health and faith. She explained,” The project that I worked on this past year was exploring paths to a partnership between clergy and mental health professionals. Our clergy are frontline mental health persons who need undergirding by and collaboration from mental health professionals to provide care to our communities at large. These are populations that most mental health professionals would never see in their offices because they will only go to their church for help. There is expertise that can be lent bidirectionally so that the community's needs are being met.”
After completing her Ph.D., Katrina’s career goals include teaching at an MFT program, writing pilot programs, writing books and engaging in research. When asked if she had advice for anyone considering applying to the MFP, Katrina replied, “It will change your life in such a positive way. The MFP is an investment in yourself that will yield creative innovation and outstanding clinical support for the communities you serve.”
She had these words to share about her experience in the program, “My life has forever been changed because of the people, the information provided, and the experiences had within the MFP. Thank you for the opportunity.” She went on to share these glowing remarks about FAHS, “FAHS has been a wonderful resource. They have provided so many opportunities for the fellows to engage with alumni of the program and with those operating in the capacities we are being groomed to ascend to. It has been awesome engaging with FAHS. They have become extended family to me.”