DASRF | Writing Scholarships

The Dutch American Social Research Foundation aims to foster intercultural understanding and exchange among students and professionals active in social services or research in the Netherlands and United States. Each year the foundation offers four individuals the opportunity to write a paper on a specified topic of interest that should raise awareness of similarities and differences inherent to the two countries’ social service systems, identify areas that warrant further study, and serve as a forum for cultural exchange among social service professionals in both countries.

Pauline Broberg — DASRF Director

The writing scholarship topic for 2008 is comparative mental health.

Paper Deadlines

Applications due October 1, 2008
Winners Announced January 1, 2009
Papers submitted April 15, 2009
Papers Posted May 15, 2009

Participation Requirements

Applicants must be a Dutch and/or American citizen. Applicants need to have a degree or be certified in mental health care or a related field, and/or be working as a mental health care professional.

Download Application

Simply click on the link below to download the DASRF Writing Scholarship Application. You will need an up-to-date version of Adobe Reader to open the application file.

DYNAMIC APPLICATION	With our dynamic form, you can complete the application using your computer. Simply type right into the application and then print it out when completed. Download Dynamic Form >
STATIC APPLICATION	Use this version if your computer doesn't allow you to open the dynamic form. You'll have to print out this static form and complete it with a pen. Download Static Form >

The Six Questions

The scholarship winner will address these six questions.

Introduce your country's mental health care infrastructure; Discuss the types of organizations involved in treating mental health clients and how health care professionals are educated and trained.
Discuss to what extent major types of therapy (such as psychodynamic/psychoanalytical, CBT and trauma therapy, for example) are used in your country.
Describe factors that play a role in determining the duration and choice of a given treatment strategy in your country.
Describe a new treatment strategy or approach that is gaining momentum in your country. Discuss its history, the factors involved in its growing popularity and its major features and/or characteristics.
In what way do you feel treatment strategies for mentally ill clients differ most markedly in the Netherlands and the United States? In what way do you feel American and Dutch mental health workers could learn most from each other?
Discuss a culturally relevant issue or area of study that is of particular interest to you, based on your research or the work you do with clients.