Why a Pathways to the Profession Fellowship?

MASOC believes that every child and adolescent deserves to live in a world that allows and encourages them to lead safe, healthy, and meaningful lives. However, we know from the research that: sexual violence is less likely to be investigated if the victim is a young person of color; young people with disabilities are both much more likely to be victimized as well as to have problem sexual behaviors; Black, Latinx, and indigenous children are more likely to face arrest, prosecution in juvenile and adult courts, and to be placed on the sex offender registry.

As professionals working in prevention and intervention, we also recognize the critical importance of building a field of highly trained, experienced professionals whose own identities reflect the diverse communities that make up Massachusetts. Too often, professionals who have identities that have made graduate school and highly influential professional networks very accessible have consciously and unconsciously created stratified professional networks, advancement opportunities, and mentorship, which leads to professional escalators for other professionals with those same identities while closing off opportunities for professionals with marginalized identities.

MASOC seeks to create an advancement opportunity that especially welcomes new professionals with underrepresented identities to the field and creates learning and growth in this specialized area of practice that goes beyond practicum placement or classroom learning to provide mentorship and open professional networks.

Who should apply?

MASOC is primarily an association of clinicians, so professionals in a range of clinical fields—psychology, mental health counseling, social work—with an interest in appropriate treatment of children, youth, and young adults with problem sexual behaviors should apply.

However, MASOC also encourages applications from allied fields whose work intersects with and informs our own, so long as the applicant has a specific interest in this practice area: pediatrics and family medicine, law and public policy, public health, sociology, criminology, early childhood, elementary and secondary education, etc.

MASOC is also a Massachusetts-based organization, so particularly welcomes applicants who do or are planning to live or practice in Massachusetts. However, if your research or practice area particularly involves Mass., you are also welcome to apply.

Description of Role

The MASOC Fellow will work with the MASOC Board of Directors for 9 months (September 2025 – June 2026) on projects involving children and adolescents with problematic sexual behaviors (PSB).

The Fellow will have the opportunity to work on a range of projects of their choice. Topics can include, but are not limited to:

• policy and legislative advocacy,
• social media and communications,
• fundraising and grant writing,
• curriculum design and implementation.

In the application, the Fellow will provide a statement about their interest in this fellowship, the potential topic area(s) they want to explore and a description of how the fellowship relates to their career goals.

Once the Fellow is chosen, they will be matched with a mentor from the MASOC Board of Directors based upon their interest. The mentor will provide individualized guidance, support, and career mentorship over the course of the fellowship.

The time commitment is approximately 2–4 hours a week (in part based on the existing academic and training demands of the Fellow). The Fellow will attend monthly board meetings and participate in the operations of our organization through the board meetings and mentorship with the Executive Director.

A stipend of $1,300 is provided to the Fellow as well as free registration at any MASOC conference (virtual joint conference, campus conference, and annual in-person conference), webinar or lunch and learn, all of which carry CE credits.

Applications are due by June 18, 2025. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a possible project, please contact Meg Bossong, Executive Director, at info@masoc.net.