Chioma Shaw builds care pathways for underserved Maryland communities

Case manager Chioma Shaw works at Service Coordination Incorporated in Maryland, connecting older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans to essential services. Her profile highlights how training in behavioral health, ongoing graduate study, and person-centered advocacy are shaping her push for more accessible mental health care.

Why it matters: - Chioma Shaw helps underserved Maryland residents find services that can affect daily stability, health, and independence. - Her work links clients to support that can be hard to navigate, including in-home aides, medical supplies, insurance help, food banks, grants, and other community resources. - Shaw’s focus on veterans, older adults, and people with mental and physical disabilities reflects a broader gap in access to care and support.

What happened: - Shaw is a case manager at Service Coordination Incorporated, a nonprofit organization in Maryland. - Her role centers on advocacy and services coordination for clients who need help reaching essential resources. - She works with veterans facing PTSD, life transitions, and barriers to care. - Shaw earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Towson University in December 2023. - She is pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health at Bowie State University.

The details: - Shaw’s background includes behavioral health and counseling experience. - She has worked as a Registered Behavioral Technician through internship opportunities. - She also facilitated supervised counseling sessions before becoming licensed. - Her training includes Mandated Reporter Training, Sexual Abuse Awareness and Prevention, Adult and Pediatric First Aid, CPR, AED, and Social and Behavioral Research. - Shaw says mentors Dr. Sheila Osborne and Dr. Crystal Joseph helped her grow by offering guidance, trust, and networking opportunities. - She says the best career advice she received was to network and believe in herself. - Shaw encourages young women entering psychology to build strong networks and reach out by email or phone. - She says a psychology degree can open many doors and that students should explore different paths until they find the right fit.

Between the lines: - Shaw frames the field’s biggest obstacles as limited funding, too few mental health professionals, burnout, high caseloads, and insurance restrictions. - Those pressures shape the services clients can actually access, especially when needs involve housing, employment, medical care, and mental health support. - Her approach emphasizes compassion, empathy, multicultural competence, and meeting clients where they are. - That person-centered model is designed to make support more practical and more respectful of each client’s background and circumstances.

What’s next: - Shaw plans to become a licensed counselor and expand her ability to provide therapeutic support. - She hopes to build a nonprofit, work with local leaders, and help underserved communities get the resources they need. - Shaw also volunteers with the United Methodist Church Volunteer Mission. - She says increasing access to mental health services remains one of her strongest professional passions.

The bottom line: - Shaw’s path from behavioral technician to case manager shows how direct advocacy, education, and community ties can help close gaps in care for people who are often overlooked. - Her work aims to turn support into something practical: access, dignity and stability for the people she serves. - More information is available in Chioma Shaw’s Influential Women profile.