The Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) philosophy assumes that all kids can and should have the opportunity to succeed with the appropriate tools and supports. It is, therefore, our mission to help all youth with behavioral challenges, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, religion, or class. ​

To do this effectively, we recognize the essential involvement, feedback, and partnership with adults from a diversity of backgrounds. ​

• Diverse perspectives and feedback are critical to the ongoing development of CPS into a model that is effective for all communities. ​
• We recognize the value and importance of having CPS trainers who look like and have shared experiences with the communities being served. ​
• We want to help fight the negative stigma, and lack of access, often associated with mental health in communities of color.

We acknowledge the systemic barriers that often prevent Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, and people of color from accessing professional development and learning opportunities. This Fellowship is one piece of our larger effort to ensure diversity of perspectives and experiences in our community of practitioners. ​

The Kraft Family Foundation shares our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. They are a committed partner in helping us to create greater access to Collaborative Problem Solving across New England. With their generous support, we have launched the Kraft Foundation Racial Diversity Fellowship. This Fellowship is available to 26 individuals working or living in New England, who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, or people of color, and work with or parent children with behavioral challenges. Upon completing the Fellowship, participants will be certified to provide professional CPS training, consultation, and Parent Classes in their communities and will be a valued part of the broader Think:Kids CPS Certified Community.

Please help us in welcoming our first class of Fellows!

Terry is a Certified Peer Support Specialist in Children's Health, the Chair of their local SEPAC, and a court-appointed special advocate and parent education advocate. As the mom of a black male child, Terry says, "I have experienced firsthand the systemic racism that has been ingrained into our education system. The BIPOC community was not allowed to provide input in the foundation of our education system, so I work to change the blueprint and have inclusion with equity for all children."

My name is MaryLuz Arling, LICSW.  I became the Program Director for the Foster Care program at Plummer on November 2012. I oversee all the programmatic operations to include, but not limited to the recruitment and training of foster families, support to foster families, appropriate placement of children in foster homes, and associated case management.  I ensure that every foster youth who comes to Plummer Foster Care has a voice and is heard. The goal at Plummer is for every youth to leave Plummer with a legal permanent family, whether that is through Reunification, Adoption, or Guardianship. I started my career in Child Welfare as an Adoption Social Worker in 2000.  I then became a Permanency Social Worker in 2007 until 2012. I was also a Clinician from 2006-2010. In this role, I primarily worked with families and youth who were in foster care or part of the Adoption Triad. I believe that all youth deserve and need families.  Therefore, I bring this passion to leadership at Plummer.  I obtained my BA in Psychology and certificate in Latin American Studies at UMass Amherst. I later obtained my master’s in social work at Salem State University. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the CPS BIPOC Fellowship Program. I hope to utilize these new skills to continue to serve and empower families.

Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Rhea Elcock attended Xavier University, where she received her B.A. in Mathematics. While at Xavier University, Rhea became a Bruggeman Fellow, where she engaged in a yearlong study of how culture plays a role in understanding mathematics. In her recent TEDx Talk, "An Equation for Merging Minds to Become One," Rhea shares her passion for changing the norm of mathematics and its perspective in schools. This past year, she earned her Masters of Education in S.T.E.M. at the Woodrow Wilson Graduate School with MIT. Rhea is currently teaching her second year at Helen Y Davis Leadership Academy as a 7th-grade math teacher, hoping to help students find their purpose. She is excited to become a Think:Kids fellow seeking to change the perspective of student agency in schools.

Tamara has worked with young children and parents for over 20 years as a home visitor, including families in early intervention, transitional living, sober parenting, children in foster care, and early literacy. Her goal is to help parents meet the developmental, emotional, and educational needs of their children. Tamara is currently the Director of the Home Based Early Childhood Education Program at Cambridge Public Schools, overseeing a team of home visitors who create rich play experiences for families to enhance their daily interactions. Tamara says, "We know children learn best about their world while playing in loving and nurturing relationships with their parents!"

Tyrena Lester, LICSW, is currently the Victim Services Supervisor at Baystate’s Family Advocacy Center. As the Victim Services Supervisor, she oversees all case management, forensic interviews, and the multidisciplinary response to child abuse in the county, including youth CSET (Commercial, Sexual Exploitation, and Trafficking) victims. Prior to this role, she was the Team Supervisor at Baystate’s Child Partial Hospitalization Program, where she worked with high-risk youth in an acute (psychiatric partial) setting. She has vast experience working with victims of trauma through her prior roles as a social worker for the Department of Children and Families and the YWCA. Mrs. Lester also provides various community trainings on topics associated with trauma and is trained in Psychological First Aid, Skills for Psychological Recovery, SBIRT, and Collaborative Problem Solving. In addition, she currently holds an adjunct professor position at Westfield State in their MSW program and has more than 10 years of experience teaching various college courses, including Psychology of Parenting and Human Sexuality at Bay Path University.

Erica Pernell is the Director of Intrepid Academy at Hale in Westwood, MA, a semester school for Boston Public School students focused on experiential learning and outdoor leadership. Erica is also a consultant, speaker, strategist, and the parent of a 7-year-old. Erica has worked at the intersection of equity and education for over 15 years, including four years directing the UMass-Boston Upward Bound program, and nine years as a teacher and administrator in independent schools.  

My name is Jomarys Solano Capeles, and I am a Latinx woman who was born in Puerto Rico and is also Dominican. I migrated from Puerto Rico to New York when I was nine years old. I graduated from the State University of New York College at Cortland with a BA in psychology and a minor in sociology. During my free time, I love to write, hang out with my loved ones, and listen to music.  

MJ joined Excel Academy Charter Schools in 2016 as a 7th Grade Learning Specialist and quickly moved into the role as a Culture Fellow, focusing on relationships and positivity in school culture. In 2019 she stepped into the role of Associate Dean of Students. Prior to this, MJ taught special education, elementary science, and art in charter schools in Brooklyn, NY, private schools in Queens, NY, and public schools in Washington, DC. Before working in education, she worked as a freelance graphic designer and very part-time comic book publisher. She will always take time to talk about comic books.