Associate Professor at Azusa Pacific University
About
Jennifer Shepard Payne is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work, Azusa Pacific University. She received her PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Affairs in 2011. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with many years of experience in mental health clinical practice and administration. Her research interests include developing community-based mental health interventions and addressing minority mental health service disparities.
Current Work:
Dr. Payne's research focuses on improving the assessment and identification of mental disorders such as depression for underrepresented, resource-poor groups. Given that underrepresented populations delay treatment in mental health centers due to stigma and other factors, she is also interested in the ways that informal counselors (like clergy) identify mental disorders in individuals they encounter. She is the Principal Investigator of the Urban Pastor's Project www.urbanpastorsproject.com and the Clergy Depressive Counseling Survey, two studies that obtained data from pastors about their beliefs and treatment practices surrounding depression and mental health. Her research interests include developing culturally tailored community-based depression and trauma interventions and addressing minority mental health disparities.
Dr. Payne is also an Ordained Evangelist with the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World (PAW). She is the Director of the Psychological and Social Resource Ministry under the umbrella of the Central California Diocese of the PAW. She is also a trainer and consultant on mental illness issues through the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Clergy Training Academy.
Research Area(s):
