Jessica Beun

My work is twofold - it's clinical and it's academic. In my academic role, I am a full-time assistant professor, and my primary role is to teach within the mental health courses. I'm focused on helping to support our students and working with populations who are either facing adversity, possibly labeled with serious mental illness, who have low income, lack of resources, really difficult communities and populations to access. My role is to teach and prepare students to be able to go into different populations. For example, I've worked heavily in domestic violence shelters, homeless services, infant mental health with our very young vulnerable populations and their families, as well as in substance use and recovery programs. My role is to support and mentor students to be able to do that work clinically. Then clinically, I also support students and mentor students who are done with schooling in pursuing a career with the various populations I've listed. Currently, I'm working with the unhoused population - individuals who have maybe experienced chronic homelessness, who have had some sort of acute psychiatric or medical need that landed them in the hospital. Instead of them being discharged back out onto the streets, I'm helping to support my students in being able to support these individuals in finding housing that is sustainable for them.