Student-Faculty Team Examine Mental Health Care

Tamar Shirinian, a postdoctoral teaching associate, and graduate student Julian McDaniel received a Scholarly Activity and Research Incentive Fund grant in 2020 to examine how health insurance companies mediate the care that clients receive for mental health, and thus the critical relationships between mental healthcare providers and those suffering emotionally.

The team interviewed healthcare professionals in Knoxville virtually or by phone, as pandemic restrictions did not allow them to conduct face-to-face meetings. The study contributes to McDaniel’s master’s thesis work on addiction recovery in Knoxville and is part of a broader research program led by Shirinian examining mental health and recovery that she hopes to expand nationally.