Mpofu is a doctoral student in rehabilitation counselor education with the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education.

Mpofu will use the funding for a pilot study this summer in Auckland, New Zealand, where she will be completing pre-dissertation research focusing on the problem of  Māori adults having the highest rates of depression and suicide — but also having the lowest rates of mental health treatment by mental health providers.  She notes that this work will also look at the secondary impacts of untreated mental health issues in Māori society, including disability formation and substance use.

She also explains that this pilot study seeks to understand the barriers to Māori seeking help, including but not limited to self-stigma or help-seeking, culturally relevant psychoeducation and treatment services, and other barriers that limit utilization of mental health care services.

Mpofu says the aims of her project are to: identify Māori social identity, disability formation, and perceptions of rehabilitation service; and to develop an outreach program based on the research findings that are capable of addressing existing gaps in service utilization and service provision using the Knowledge-To-Action (KTA) knowledge translation model.