Stephen Silva-Brave

Stephen Silva-Brave is a PhD student in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. A proud Sicangu Lakota citizen, Stephen is deeply connected with both the DFW Indigenous community and his with family in Rosebud, South Dakota. Before formally joining the Ph.D. program, he began taking doctoral-level courses while completing his MSW at UTA, where he also serves as President of the Native American Student Association. His research focuses on decolonizing social work, creating culturally grounded interventions for Native men’s mental health, and addressing the systemic violence behind the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People crisis. Stephen’s is also a licensed chemical dependency counselor and LBSW whose practice and research builds upon lived experience and, viewing research as ceremony and storytelling as a pathway to healing. A CSWE Minority Fellowship Scholar and the Native Forward Student of the Year, he has presented nationally on Indigenous issues, land acknowledgments, and culturally responsive mental health strategies. Stephen hopes to repower Native communities by honoring their resilience and helping restore systems of relational accountability and wellness.