Shawna Murray-Browne, MSW, LCSW-C is a doctoral candidate interested in decolonial and anti-oppressive frameworks in social work education and practice. She is expected to defend her dissertation by Summer 2023.
Education Background
She completed her MSW at University of Maryland, Baltimore in 2011. She completed her BS in Criminology and Family Science in 2009 at the University of Maryland, College Park and.
Significant Accomplishments
Shawna has co-authored a manuscript in the Journal of Social Practice in the Addictions and authored an article in Psychotherapy Networker magazine entitled, Decolonizing Mental Health: The Healing Power of Community. Her dissertation work on oral histories as a site of inquiry around the healing ways of African American women during the civil rights movement represents her longstanding commitment to centering the voice of the community while creating new knowledge for social change.
In 2021, Shawna was featured in the PBS film, Mysteries of Mental Illness: Decolonizing Mental Health, and has presented at countless organizations and conferences as both a workshop facilitator and keynote. She was a CSWE Minority Fellow from 2019-2022.
Teaching Interests
Shawna Murray-Browne is well-equipped for independent teaching both in the classroom and online. She completed coursework in pedagogy at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work. During her time in the PhD program she designed and executed a 16-hour training entitled, Decolonizing Therapy for Black Folk, for mental health professionals using virtual platforms. Through this tool, she has trained over 500 practitioners across the country through her organization. She has delivered over 15 guest lectures about anti-colonial social work practice to BSW, MSW and PhD students at numerous universities. Shawna has also consulted academic departments in social work and clinical psychology in their effort to implement decolonial theory and praxis learning for their budding mental health providers and researchers.
Practice Interests and Experience
Shawna Murray-Browne is an integrative psychotherapist and social worker who worked in private practice, residential treatment, child welfare and grassroots organizing for over 10 years. In 2018, Shawna’s community initiative was awarded over $85K to implement her intergenerational, mind-body based curriculum for 4th and 5th grade girls, in partnership with a local public school. She is eager to mentor students in what it means to engage the African American community in a way that honors their culture and supports their self-determination.
Contact: shawna.murray-browne@ssw.umaryland.edu