The IRMA Community
Newsletters
Research IRM
Click a keyword to search titles using our InfoSci-OnDemand powered search:
|
Arika Yvette Wiggins
Arika Wiggins
is currently a tenure-track assistant professor at Southeast Missouri State University. She is a faculty member in the Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Sociology Department, and teaches social work courses across the undergraduate social work curriculum. Along with having over five years of teaching social work courses at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, Dr. Wiggins practiced social work for 11 years, with most of that time as a Licensed Master’s Social Worker, and as a Licensed Bachelor’s Social Worker in the beginning of her professional social work career. Dr. Wiggins has a commitment to incorporating her practice experience into all of the social work courses that she teaches. This commitment has led to her dedication of providing her students with a well-rounded education that gives them advanced preparation for real-world social work practice. Dr. Wiggins’ research focus and areas of expertise are qualitative research on the social determinants of mental health and health disparities, with an emphasis on the interrelationships between societal messages communicated to various cultural groups and mental health service provision. Dr. Wiggins is in the process of having her first chapter published titled Social Justice Through a Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity and Fairness Framework, regarding the innate need for human belongingness from a cultural awareness perspective. Her work on this chapter and the current chapter Addressing Stigma and Help-Seeking Barriers for men, are leading to further publishing opportunities and research incorporating cultural diversity and gender-related awareness into addressing topics related to mental health practice. Dr. Wiggins’ unwavering commitment to improving mental health outcomes goes along with over 15 years of accomplishments in social work education, practice, and research combined. As she continues her professional journey in the second phase of her career, making a successful transition to social work academics, Dr. Wiggins is looking forward to continuing to advocate for the mental health needs of vulnerable populations. She is therefore well on her way to contributing to decreasing mental health inequities through evidence-based solutions for a variety of underserved cultural groups.
|
|