Email: carolina.velez-grau@bc.edu
Human Behavior and the Social Environment
Adolescent mental health, adolescent suicide, mental health services, suicide prevention, social connectedness, task-sharing of mental health, ethnocultural minorized youth, and Latinx communities.Ìý
Dr. Vélez-Grau is a Colombian-born social worker who joined ÈíÃÃÉçSSW in 2022 after completing her Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at New York University's Silver School of Social Work. Her work as a researcher and social work practitioner centers on the lives of ethnocultural minoritized adolescents and their families, particularly Latinx youth. Dr. Vélez-Grau's research examines individual and contextual risk and protective factors associated with suicidal behaviors among these young people and access to mental health services. Her ultimate goal is to develop approaches to prevent suicide that go beyond clinical settings and out in the community and are effective and affordable.
With funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Diversity Supplement, Dr. Vélez-Grau is currently examining 1) the role of social connectedness and burdensomeness on the development of suicide ideation among Latinx and Black youth; 2) documenting Latinx and Black adolescents' perceptions of mental health services and barriers and facilitators to mental health engagement; and 3) the effectiveness of an engagement intervention in decreasing suicide ideation via changes in connectedness and burdensomeness among these youth.
In addition, with funding from the Dean's Upstream Seed Funds at New York University's Silver School of Social Work, she examined the sociocultural views that Latinx and Black youth ascribed to the theoretical constructs of connectedness and burdensomeness to be able to ground a suicide theory in the experiences of ethnocultural minoritized youth.
Dr. Vélez-Grau is a licensed clinical social worker with over 15 years of clinical experience working with youth and families from ethnic and racial minoritized backgrounds. She directed the Home-Based Crisis Intervention Program (HÈíÃÃÉçI) at New York-Presbyterian Children’s Hospital and worked as a Family Specialist in the American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program. She has offered workshops and consultations to community agencies, parents, and adolescents about mental health, suicide, and service engagement. She has also trained mental health providers in Mexico and Nicaragua to provide (virtually) emotional support in Spanish and native languages to mothers of children and adolescents who experienced toxic stress due to their migratory status in New York City. She is currently a consultant in a project at Columbia University Medical Center examining the impact of telehealth on youth engagement in psychotherapy.
Dr. Vélez-Grau received a Ph.D. in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work, a Master of Social Work degree from Columbia University School of Social Work, and a Psychology degree from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia.
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La Dra. Vélez-Grau es una trabajadora social nacida en Colombia que se unió a ÈíÃÃÉçSSW en el 2022 después de completar su Beca Postdoctoral de Provost en New York University Silver School of Social Work. Su trabajo como investigadora y practicante de trabajo social se centra en la vida de los adolescentes de minorÃas étnicas y sus familias, en particular los jóvenes Latinos/as/x. La investigación de la Dra. Vélez-Grau examina los factores de riesgo y protección individuales y contextuales asociados con los comportamientos suicidas entre estos jóvenes y el acceso a los servicios de salud mental. Su objetivo final es desarrollar intervenciones efectivas y asequibles para prevenir el suicidio que vayan más allá de los entornos clÃnicos hacia la comunidad.
Con fondos de Diversity Supplement del Instituto Nacional de Salud Mental (NIMH, sigla en ingles), la Dra. Vélez-Grau está examinando: 1) el papel de la conexión social y el sentirse una carga para otros en el desarrollo de la ideación suicida en los jóvenes Latinos/as/x y Africano Americanos (LAA); 2) las percepciones de los jóvenes LAA acerca de los servicios de salud mental y las barreras y facilitadores para la participación de estos adolescents en los servicios de salud mental; y 3) la efectividad de una intervención para incrementar la participación en servicios de salud mental y disminuir la ideación suicida a través de cambios en la conectividad y el sentirse una carga para otros en los jóvenes LAA. Además, con los fondos internos (Dean's Upstream Seed Funds) de New York University Silver School of Social Work, la Dra Vélez-Grau examinó los puntos de vista socioculturales que los jóvenes LAA atribuyen a los conceptos teóricos de conexión asà como sentirse una carga para otros y proponer desde lo anterior una hipótesis del suicidio basada en las experiencias de jóvenes que son minorÃas étnicas.
La Dra. Vélez-Grau es una trabajadora social clÃnica licenciada con más de 15 años de experiencia clÃnica trabajando con jóvenes y familias de minorÃas étnicas y raciales. Dirigió el Programa de Intervención de Crisis en el Hogar (HÈíÃÃÉçI, sigla en ingles) en el New York-Presbyterian Children's Hospital y trabajó como especialista familiar en American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program. Ha ofrecido talleres y consultorÃas a agencias comunitarias, familias y adolescentes sobre salud mental, el suicidio y la participación en los servicios de salud mental. También ha capacitado a proveedores de salud mental en México y Nicaragua (virtualmente) para brindar apoyo emocional en español e idiomas nativos de Mexico y Centro America a madres de niño/as y adolescentes que experimentaron estrés tóxico debido a su estatus migratorio en la ciudad de Nueva York. Actualmente es consultora en un proyecto en Columbia University Medical Center que examina el impacto de la telesalud en la participación de los jóvenes en la psicoterapia.
La Dra. Vélez-Grau recibió un Ph.D. en Trabajo Social en Columbia University School of Social Work, una MaestrÃa en Trabajo Social en Columbia University School of Social Work y una licenciatura en PsicologÃa de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana en Bogotá, Colombia.
Vélez-Grau, C., & Lindsey, M. A. (2022). Do connectedness and self-esteem play a role in the transition to future suicide attempts among Latina and Latino youth with suicide ideation? Children and Youth Services Review.Ìý
Vélez-Grau, C. Romanelli, M., Lindsey, M.A. (2022). Adolescent suicide attempts in the United States: When suicidal thoughts and suicide capability interact. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behaviors.Ìý
2020-2022: Principal Investigator. Understanding interpersonal factors, mechanisms of engagement in treatment and suicidal ideation among Black and Latinx youth with and without depression. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Diversity supplement. (Co-PIs: Lindsey, Mufson; $91,532)
2019-2022: Postdoctoral Fellow. Engaging Black Youth in Depression and Suicide Prevention Treatment within Urban Schools: A Preliminary Study. (PI: Lindsey, Co-I: Mufson; $695,526
2020-2021: Principal Investigator. Exploring the meaning that Latinx and Black adolescents ascribe to social connectedness and burdensomeness: A qualitative Study. Dean’s Upstream Seed Funds, NYU Silver School of Social Work. ($15,000)