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Professor

Associate Dean, Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts


University Hall 4600

(310) 338 - 2716

cgrills@lmu.edu

Education:

B.A., Yale University, 1980
M.A., University of California at Los Angeles, 1982
Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles, 1985.

Specialty:





University Responsibilities:











Programs in charge of:

Clinical and community psychology, African-centered psychology, substance abuse prevention and treatment, program evaluation research, adult and juvenile justice, child welfare, traditional medicine in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. 
 

-Associate Dean, Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts,
Loyola Marymount University
Portfolio includes: Internationalization of the Curriculum, Engaged Learning, Graduate Programs, Living Learning Communities, Faculty Searchers and Hires, Liaison to College Staff
-Ghana Study Abroad Program, (Founder and Faculty Sponsor)
-Founder and Academic Sponsor, Kente Scholars Graduation Program (1996-present)

-Ghana Study Abroad Program, (Founder and Faculty Sponsor)
-Founder, Kente Scholars Graduation Program (1996-present)
-Chair, Psychology Department, Loyola Marymount University 

Dr. Cheryl Tawede Grills joined LMU's Psychology Department in 1987. Dr. Grills completed her undergraduate training at Yale University with a double major in psychology and Africana studies. She received her Masters and Ph.D. from UCLA. For a number of years Dr. Grills was a research associate at UCLA's Drug Abuse Research Center where she was a co-principle investigator in a substance abuse clinical trials study.

Dr. Grills is national President of The Association of Black Psychologists and founder and director of Imoyase Community Support Services, a non-profit program evaluation and consulting organization serving community-based organizations and foundations around the country.  Among the honors and awards she has received is her election in 2004 to the title of "Distinguished Psychologist" by the Association of Black Psychologists (the association's highest honor).

Her research interests, publications and current projects include African-centered models of treatment engagement with African Americans; substance abuse prevention and treatment, African concepts of consciousness, altruism and compassion, traditional medicine in West Africa, community psychology; community mental health, prevention, and the provision  of action  research and program evaluation services to community based organizations engaged in social action, community change and prevention on a host of issues including those related to public policy and environmental change strategies to address childhood obesity in communities of color, educational reform, health care, slum housing, homelessness, the prison industrial-complex, reentry reduction of recidivism from incarceration for Aftrican American women, culturally based approaches to mentoring, and issues related to disproportionality in child welfare and juvenile justice.

Dr. Grills consults nationally on a number of issues particularly regrding matters of cultural and social compentence, multiculturalism and Africentric interventions.  She has also studied under traditional medical practitioners in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal and is a registered member of the Ghana National Association of Traditional Healers.

Dr. Grills has three children, and countless "adopted" children in the US and West Africa.

Grills, C. Fingerhut, A, Thadani, V, & Machon, R. (in press) The LMU Residential Learning Community.  In: Buch, K. & Barron, K (Eds) Discipline-Centered Learning Communities: Creating Connections Among Students and Faculty Within A Major.  New Directions for Teaching and Lerning Series: San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Grills, C. (2011).  Reflections on Culturally Adaptive Model of Counseling for Persons of African Descent: An African Centered Perspective.  In: Gallardo, Yeh, Parham, & Trimble (Eds.). Working Culturally and Responsively with Persons of African, Asian, Latino, and Native Descent: The Culturally Adaptive Model of Counseling.  Woodland Hills: Sage Publications.

Bell, D., Anderson, M, & Grills, C. (2011).  Culture-based prevention programming for African American youth: Winners and the Community Prevention Program of Avalon Carver Community Center. Psych Discourse 45 (2).

Grills, C. (Accepted for Publication 2009).  African Psychology: Reflections and Refinements. In: Mkize, N. (Eds) African Psychology. Pretoria, South Africa: Van Schaik.

Grills, C. (2009).  I am because we are: Locating health, well-being, and intervention in community.  Psych Discourse. 43 (4), 9-17.

Grills, C. (Accepted for Publication 2008).  African Psychology: Reflections and Refinements.  In: Mkize, N. (Ed) African Psychology.  Pretoria, South Africa: Van Schaik.

Grills, C. (2006). Afterward. In W. Nobles (Ed). Seeking the sakhu: Foundational writings for an African psychology. Chicago: Third World Press.

Grills, C. (2004). African psychology. In R. Jones (Ed). African psychology. Hampton, VA: Cobb and Henry.

Grills, C. (2004). African psychology. A rejoinder. In R. Jones (Ed). African psychology. Hampton, VA: Cobb and Henry.

Grills, C. (2004). To be an African psychologist: A pilgrimage to Iwa Pele. Psych Discourse. 36 (2), 5-7.

Grills, C. (2003). Substance Abuse and African Americans. In D. Gilbert & E. Wright (Eds.), African American women living with HIV: The need for critical responses. Praeger Press.

Grills, C. (2002). African psychology. In T. Parham (Ed.), Counseling persons of African descent. Woodland Hills: Sage Publications.

Grills, C & Ajei, M. (2002). African-centered conceptualizations of self and consciousness: The Akan model.  In T. Parham (Ed.), Counseling persons of African descent. Woodland Hills: Sage Publications.

Grills, C. and Bass, K. (2001). African Americans and The Prison Industrial Complex.. Community

Psychologist - News Journal of Division 27 of the American Psychological Association.

Ajei, M. and Grills, C. (2000). Sunsum as Conscious Energy. Psych Discourse, (20) 12-15.

Longshore, D. & Grills, C. (2000). Motivating recovery from illegal drug use: Evidence for a culturally congruent intervention. Journal of Black Psychology 26(3), 288-301.

Longshore, D. & Grills, C, & Annon, K. (1999). Effects of a culturally congruent intervention on cognitive factors related to drug-use recovery. Substance Use and Misuse, 34 (9), 1223-1241.

Grills, C. & Rowe, D. (1998). African traditional medicine: Implications for African-centered approaches to healing. In R. Jones (Ed.), African American Mental Health, Hampton, VA: Cobb & Henry.

Grills, C. & Rowe, D. (1998). Research teams in ethnic communities. Drugs and Society, 14(1-2), 247-268.  Co-published simultaneously in M.R. De La Rosa, B. Segal, & R. Lopez (Eds.), Conducting Drug Abuse Research with Minority Populations, Haworth Press, New York.

Longshore, D., Grills, C., Anglin, M.D., & Annon, K. (1998) Treatment motivation among African American drug-using arrestees. Journal of Black Psychology, 24 (2) 126-144.

Longshore, D., Grills, C., (1998). Drug problem recognition among African American drug-using arrestees.  Addictive Behaviors, 23( 2), 275-279.

Longshore, D., Grills, C., Annon, K. & Grady, R., (1998). Promoting recovery from drug abuse: An Africentric intervention. Journal of Black Studies, 28(3), 319-333.

Grills, C. & Longshore, D. (1996). Africentrism: Psychometric analysis of a self-report measure. Journal of Black Psychology, 22 (1), 86-106.

Grills, C. & Nobles, W. (1995). A covenant with destiny: The ABPsi African healers project; Psych Discourse, 26 (6), 8-9.

Grills, C. (1995). The African traditional healers project: A covenant. Psych Discourse, 26 (6), 11-12.

Grills, C., Bass, K., Brown, D, & Akers, A. (1995). Empowerment evaluation: Building upon a tradition of activism in the African American community. In D. Fetterman, A. Wandersman, & S. Kafterian (Eds.), Empowerment Evaluation: Knowledge and Tools for Self-Assessment and Accountability,123-140, Sage, CA.

Rowe, D. & Grills, C. (1993). African-centered drug treatment: An alternative conceptual paradigm for counseling African-American clients. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 25(1), 21-32.

Grills, C. (1991). The high visibility education project (Contract No. D-0059-8). Sacramento, CA: State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs-Report.

2011
National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI Urban LA, Honors for Excellence in Turning Research into Action

2011
Certificate of Special Recognition, The Honorable Maxine Waters, 35th Congressional District

2011
Faculty Recognition Award, Kente Graduation, Loyola Marymount University

2010
CCHE Childhood Obesity Grant - National Evaluation of 22 Site Environmental and Public Policy Change Strategy

2010
The President's Volunteer Service Award, An Initiative of the United States President's Council on Service and Civic Participation

2008
CCHE Childhood Obesity Grant - National Evaluatioin of 10 Site Environmental and Public Policy Change Strategy

2008
Inducted: Alpha Sigma Nu, National Jesuit Honor Society

2007
Appreciation Award, United Coalition East Prevention Project

2006
Faculty Recognition Award, Kente Graduation, Loyola Marymount University

2006
Appreciation Award, Black Probation Officers Association

2005
Barbara Avery Community First Award, The learning Community, Loyola Marymount Univeristy

2004
Distinguished Psychologist Award, The National Association of Black Psychologists

2003
The Villager Award, Loyola Marymount University Black Alumni Association

2001
Appreciation Award, Southern California Association of Black Psychologists

2000
Service Award, The Natioinal Associatioin of Black Psychologists

1999
Center for Consciousness Studies Grant, Principle Investigator, Consciousness Research

1996
Dr. Ruth Temple Award For Distinguished Public Health Service in Los Angeles County

1996
Certificate of Appreciation from Senator Barbara Boxer for service to the County of Los Angeles in the area of drug prevention

1995
Commendation (By Resolution No. 908) from The Board of Fire Commissioners of the Los Angeles City Fire Department

1995
County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association of California Award in Research and in Public Policy, for her contributions to these areas in the state of California.

1995
National Institute of Drug Abuse Substance Abuse Treatment Engagement Clinical Trials Study