Marital and Family Therapy/ Art Therapy student Hannah Checkwicz-Grosberg ’25 received the prestigious Educational Foundation Scholarship from California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). The scholarship, commemorating Clinton E. Phillips, is awarded to students who demonstrate high academic achievement, community and civic participation, and commitment to the field of marriage and family therapy.
Grosberg, who describes herself as a queer, Caribbean activist and Global Feminist, is committed to serving marginalized communities in Los Angeles. She sought out the scholarship with the goal of improving her skills for community-based healing.
In addition to a $4,000 stipend, the scholarship allowed her to travel to San Francisco to attend the annual CAMFT conference. While there, Grosberg took workshops on topics spanning from psychedelic-assisted therapy to erotic wellness for trans community members. The discussion that impacted her most was “Somatic Abolitionism” by Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP.
“I’m working on being anti-racist, and Dr. Menakem’s talk really motivated me to keep doing this work,” Grosberg says. She used some of the scholarship funds to join White Therapists Fighting Racism, a LA CAMFT group that helps white-identified therapists become allies supporting decolonization and racial justice. Citing the shortage of multilingual therapists, Grosberg also plans to improve her skills in Spanish and Sign Language.
Her involvement with WOMANTRA drove her to pursue this work, and, according to the scholarship committee at CAMFT, that experience helped her application stand out. While with the organization, Grosberg piloted the Elma François Legal Clinic, which supported survivors of gender-based violence by connecting them to legal counsel.
CAMFT was also impressed by Grosberg’s activities on campus. She was an active member of LMU’s Student Art Therapy Association (SATA); and in pursuit of contributing to the field, she collaborated with colleagues on an art-based Participatory Action Research project that explores effects of collaborative art-making on identity, belongingness, and empathy development in adolescents.
CAMFT Scholarships and Grant Program Manager Tim McMullen says this award is a testament to Hannah’s dedication to the profession and her desire to improve the field of marriage and family therapy. “It is our desire that Hannah will continue to excel in her studies and carry on the legacy of Clinton E. Phillips, Ph.D., who pioneered the application of family systems theory,” he writes.