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Kevin M. Miller, Ph.D., MSW, MA is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. He is also the Director of the Empowering Counseling Program Participatory Science Initiative and a Psychotherapist at Evanston Counseling in Evanston, IL.  His research utilizes critical participatory methods to build out-of-school programs that help youth develop resistance and resilience against structural violence and oppression and build critical consciousness. More specifically, he is interested in using critical community-based participatory action research, and mixed methods research designs with a strong critical participatory component, with youth of color in out-of-school programs to develop resistance and resilience against structural poverty and racism, community and structural violence, and oppressive social forces. Additionally, Dr. Miller's research focuses on His practice and research focus on using humanistic group therapy principles and Frerian problem-posing education principles to promote critical social dialogue and critical consciousness. Kevin utilizes structural social work theory and a critical human rights approach throughout his practice and research. He is interested in the science of social work and how highly participatory research can redefine and decolonize ways of knowing and processes of knowledge production.

Education
Ph.D., Social Work, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, July 2023
Master, Social Work Program (MSW), Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, December 2022
Master, Sociology, Loyola University Chicago, December 2016
Bachelor, Sociology and Criminology, Dominican University, January 2015
Certificates and Licensures
Licensed Social Worker (LSW) Clinical licensure issued by State of Illinois
Restorative Justice Peace Circle Keeper Certificate, Community Justice for Youth Institute, February 2017
Selected Publications

Miller, K.M., Tyson McCrea, K., Sarna, V., Donnelly, W., Fitzgibbons, G., Kessler, J., Onyeka, O., Matthews, C., Richards, M., Daniels, E., & Denton, D. (in press). “A bond as strong as a lock and chain”: Photovoice as a human rights-based window into youths’ theories of helping and experiences of cross-age mentoring in low-income urban communities of color. Qualitative Social Work.  

Lee, S., Tyson, K., Sorenson, B., Wynn, N., & Miller, K. (in press). Towards a Theory of Resistance for an Emancipatory Social Work. Stories of Resistance. Journal of Progressive Human Service: Radical Thought and Praxis.

Tyson McCrea, K., Miller, K., Watson, H., Moore, A., Guthrie, D., Malazarte, N., Miller, E., Jenkins, G., & Lane, D. (2024). Street-Based Social Work Praxis: An “Un-Manual” for Advancing Human Rights and Identifying Social Safety Net Failures with Youth of Color Experiencing Poverty. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894231219846.  

Tyson McCrea, K., Richards, M., Wilkins, K., Moore, A., Miller, K., Onyeka, C., Watson, H., Denton, D., Temple, U., Smith, T., & Daniels, E. (2024), “We are not all gangbangers”: Youth in high-poverty urban U.S. communities of color describe their attitudes toward violence, struggles, and resilience. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 1–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2023.2295516

Ayalew, Y., McCrea, K., Miller, K., & Matthews, C. (2023). The promise of digital Out-of-School programs for supporting youth in Under-resourced communities: Participatory principles for human rights-based virtual youth groups. Social Work with Groups47(4), 337–352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2023.2285755.  

Miller, K. (2022). "They’re not closing this school, we won’t let them." Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, 7, 36–45. DOI: 10.1007/s41134-021-00166-0. 

Selected Presentations
Tyson McCrea, K., Gillespie, K., Moore, A., Miller, K., & Watson, H. (2024). Allyship: An Incubator for St. Part. Research with Racially Marginalized Urban Youth. AJCU. Faith, Justice, & Recon. Ass.: Creation of a Hope-Filled Future. Chicago, IL.
Tyson McCrea, K., Miller, K.M., Ayalew, Y.D. (2024). Using Participatory Methods to Optimize Social Work Practice and Advance Cognitive and Social Justice. The 20th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. Champaign, IL.
Tyson McCrea, K., Davis, L., Moore, A., Miller, K., & Watson, H. (2023). Youth violence understood from inside and outside. The Association for Psychoanalytic Clinical Social Work Meeting. Chicago, IL.
Ayalew, Y.D. & Miller, K.M. (2023). Supporting youth resilience in under-resourced communities with digital out-of-school programs (OSPs). The 3rd International Academic Forum (IAFOR) Conference on Education, Research & Innovation. Washington, D.C.
Tyson McCrea, K., Miller, K.M., Moore, A., Watson, H., and Williams, S. (2023). Towards allyship: Creating and sustaining uni.-com. part. to dev. opp. for engaging youth exp. multiple disadvantages. IAFOR. Conf. on Ed., Res., & Inn. Washington, D.C.
Selected Conferences
Toward Critical Resistance in Abolitionist Social Work: Possibilities, Paradox, and Praxis, January 2024
Tri-City Exchange: Anti-Oppressive, Anti-Racist Social Work Practice, February 2023
Awards and Grants
Doctoral Research Associate Merit Scholarship, Full tuition ($22,000/academic school year), stipend ($28,000/academic school year), health and dental insurance per year for three years, August 2019- present
Miller, K.M. (March 2024). After School Matters: Summer funding for 2024, community-based after school program. Belmont Cragin, Chicago
2023 Faculty Summer Research Grant ($3,000), Dominican University Faculty Development Committee
Miller, K.M. & Tyson McCrea, K. (February 2023). After School Matters: Summer funding for 2023, community-based after school program. Near West Side, Chicago.
2022 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Doctoral Student Travel Award, $500 award and conference registration costs covered, December 2021

 

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