Kevin M. Miller, Ph.D., MSW, MA is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. He is also the Director of the Empowering Counseling Program Participatory Science Initiative and a Psychotherapist at Evanston Counseling in Evanston, IL. His research utilizes critical participatory methods to build out-of-school programs that help youth develop resistance and resilience against structural violence and oppression and build critical consciousness. More specifically, he is interested in using critical community-based participatory action research, and mixed methods research designs with a strong critical participatory component, with youth of color in out-of-school programs to develop resistance and resilience against structural poverty and racism, community and structural violence, and oppressive social forces. Additionally, Dr. Miller's research focuses on His practice and research focus on using humanistic group therapy principles and Frerian problem-posing education principles to promote critical social dialogue and critical consciousness. Kevin utilizes structural social work theory and a critical human rights approach throughout his practice and research. He is interested in the science of social work and how highly participatory research can redefine and decolonize ways of knowing and processes of knowledge production.
Education
Ph.D., Social Work, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, July 2023
MSW, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, December 2022
MA, Sociology, Loyola University Chicago, December 2016
BA, Sociology and Criminology, Dominican University, January 2015
Certificates and Licensures
Licensed Social Worker (LSW), Clinical licensure issued by State of Illinois
Restorative Justice Peace Circle Keeper Certificate, Community Justice for Youth Institute, February 2017
Selected Publications
Tyson McCrea, K., Davis, L., Moore, A., Miller, K., & Watson, H. (in process). Youth violence understood from inside and outside. Psychoanalytic Social Work.
Tyson McCrea, K., Gillespie, K., Moore, A., Miller, K., & Watson, H. (in process). Allyship: Pedagogical and theological reflections on a social justice-focused incubator for graduate student research and praxis with urban communities experiencing racialized disadvantages.
Miller, K. and Tyson McCrea, K. (in process). Youth as Human Rights Intermediaries: A Formative Evaluation of Law Under Curious Minds After-School Program COVID-19 Public Investigation. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work.
Onyeka, C., Miller, K., Matthews, C., Richards, M., Tyson-McCrea, K., Daniels, E., Denton, D., Edwards, and K., Williams, N. (in process). For us, by us: Utilizing youth engagement & participatory action research strategies for youth of color. American Journal of Community Psychology.
Miller, K., Pica II, J., Newman, S., & Tyson McCrea, K. (in process). Law Under Curious Minds: A know your rights curriculum developed for black youth, by black youth. Social Work.
Selected Presentations
Tyson McCrea, K., Gillespie, K., Moore, A., Miller, K., & Watson, H. (2024). Allyship: An Incubator for St. Part. Research with Racially Marginalized Urban Youth. AJCU. Faith, Justice, & Recon. Ass.: Creation of a Hope-Filled Future. Chicago, IL.
Tyson McCrea, K., Miller, K.M., Ayalew, Y.D. (2024). Using Participatory Methods to Optimize Social Work Practice and Advance Cognitive and Social Justice. The 20th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. Champaign, IL.
Tyson McCrea, K., Davis, L., Moore, A., Miller, K., & Watson, H. (2023). Youth violence understood from inside and outside. The Association for Psychoanalytic Clinical Social Work Meeting. Chicago, IL.
Ayalew, Y.D. & Miller, K.M. (2023). Supporting youth resilience in under-resourced communities with digital out-of-school programs (OSPs). The 3rd International Academic Forum (IAFOR) Conference on Education, Research & Innovation. Washington, D.C.
Tyson McCrea, K., Miller, K.M., Moore, A., Watson, H., and Williams, S. (2023). Towards allyship: Creating and sustaining uni.-com. part. to dev. opp. for engaging youth exp. multiple disadvantages. IAFOR. Conf. on Ed., Res., & Inn. Washington, D.C.
Selected Conferences
Toward Critical Resistance in Abolitionist Social Work: Possibilities, Paradox, and Praxis, January 2024
Tri-City Exchange: Anti-Oppressive, Anti-Racist Social Work Practice, February 2023
Global Partnership for Transformative Social Work (GPTSW), September 2020, April 2021, November 2021, October 2022
Awards and Grants
Doctoral Research Associate Merit Scholarship. Full tuition ($22,000/academic school year), stipend ($28,000/academic school year), health and dental insurance per year for three years. August 2019 - present
Miller, K.M. (March 2024). After School Matters: Summer funding for 2024, community-based after school program. Belmont Cragin, Chicago.
2023 Faculty Summer Research Grant ($3,000). Awarded by the Dominican University Faculty Development Committee to conduct research project
Miller, K.M. & Tyson McCrea, K. (February 2023). After School Matters: Summer funding for 2023, community-based after school program. Near West Side, Chicago.
2022 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Doctoral Student Travel Award. $500 award and conference registration costs covered. December 2021.