People of Color in Psychology

According to 2019 data from the U.S. Census, approximately 58% of Americans describe their heritage as non-Hispanic White and 19% as Hispanic or Latino. That same year, 83% of the psychology workforce self-identified as White, 7% as Hispanic, 4% as Asian, and 3% as Black, according to APA’s Center for Workforce Studies data. As representation is lacking, especially amongst LatinX psychologists in...

According to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 42.1% of Hispanic women in the United States have experienced intimate partner violence. As of 2019, only four published articles over an eleven-year span that looked at Latina survivors of intimate partner violence showed an increase in positive outcomes for Latinas. These findings suggest that more robust domestic v...

Self-verification theory is a theory in social psychology that proposes that people have a need to have their self-concepts (or beliefs about themselves) confirmed. This need is so strong that people will often go to great lengths to ensure that their self-concepts are verified. Self-verification theory has been used to explain a wide range of human behaviors, including why people choose certain f...

Psychodynamic therapies are evidence-based treatments, yet studies on these treatments when working with people of color are rare. As the field of psychodynamic therapy has evolved, there are more efforts to incorporate multicultural competencies into the theory. In fact, emphasis is placed on the relationship between therapist and client, recognizing forces unseen by the client can influence the...

Hispanic Heritage series announcements! Sources: https://sites.ed.gov/hispanic-initiative/national-hispanic-heritage-month/ https://www.apa.org/about/governance/president/melba-jt-vasquez https://www.apadivisions.org/division-35/about/heritage/martha-bernal-biography Music Samples: Music for videos - ⁠Cafe Music White Records - Energetic music . Dance background. Latin reggaeton. Daddy_s_music - C...

Cultural adaptation is the process of modifying evidence-based psychotherapies to make them more relevant and acceptable to a particular cultural group. This can involve a variety of changes, such as adapting the language, concepts, and metaphors used in therapy; the way that therapy is delivered; and the goals and expectations of therapy. To engage in the adaptation requires cultural humility, th...

Providing culturally affirming care for Black women must take place at both the system and individual level. To genuinely provide culturally responsive care, we must be congruent in and outside of the therapy environment. In this episode, we have a conversation with Dr. Kimber Shelton about her book, A Handbook on Counseling African American Women. We’ll talk about some of the ideas covered in the...

Microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that communicate negative, often subtle, messages of inferiority to a person based on their marginalized group membership. Microaggressions can have a significant impact on the mental and emotional health of people of color. In this episode, we'll discuss with Dr. Somjee steps to help our clients explore these issues about the impact of microaggre...

One of the biggest stressors in life is finances and economic stability. Financial stressors amongst immigrant families is often overlooked in a therapy context. For example, what is it like for clients in mixed status families to be constantly in flux with their financial security and consequently the impact it has on their day-to-day decisions? Imagine the pressures, emotions, and dynamics in a...

Getting into and navigating the psychology pipeline goes beyond just skill development especially as people of color face issues such as microaggressions and are more likely to lack mentorship support compared to their counterparts. What are the unspoken activities and ways to navigate the system? Likewise, the importance of seeking support as well as multiple mentors need to be considered. Listen...

Mental health research and scholarly work benefits from diversity in editing, writing, and participation. Due to systemic inequities, the lack of representation in editors, peer reviewers, and faculty members to support emerging African American and Black scholars in mental health is a major challenge. However, one journal, founded by Dr. Wadley is changing the status quo by lifting up the communi...

Multiracial clients tend to experience more mental health challenges compared to monoracial clients. There are unique challenges we must attend to and be aware of as the population of multiracial people, at about 33.8 million people in the year 2020 according to the US Census, will likely be increasing. Multiracial clients may struggle with incongruent discrimination, racial identity, and experien...

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based therapy that has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health conditions. However, CBT was originally developed in Western cultures with client populations mostly lacking in diversity. Thus, in order to provide equitable treatment, cultural adaptation of CBT (CaCBT) emerged. What components are adapted? What aim, frame...

When we think about inclusion, what does that really mean? Same is true when we think and talk about community. Who are we including or excluding? What would it be like to truly appreciate and celebrate all the unique holidays? How do we truly change and examine our own internalized racist ideas and positionality of Whiteness in our beliefs? In this episode, Dr. Rehman Abdulrehman brings forth evo...

Immigration evaluations are often misunderstood and most assume it pertains to only undocumented immigrants. Immigration psychological evaluations are essentially used to explain the mental health state of an individual in an immigration case, which can include the immigrant as well as their partners, depending on the referral question. Most evaluations will likely explore trauma and sometimes the...

In this episode, Dr. Andrew Choi, a 1.5-generation Korean American, speaks about his work and research on Asian Americans and LGBTQ populations. Dr. Choi discusses model minority racialization, content vs. function of stereotype, and implications on career. Additionally, Dr. Choi discusses some strategies and stance in helping clients examine their own oppression by taking a balanced ecological an...

Fighting racism is an ongoing work. It plays out in how we measure and assess mental health symptoms to how we recruit students into graduate training programs. Are we intentional in thinking about ways to actively confront and change racist practices and structures? Standing and fighting against the racist status quo can come at a cost; however, the work is necessary. By not confronting racism, w...

Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to be effective in treating anxiety and depression (Hofmann & Gomez, 2017) and have even seen a growth in use and in publications (Zhang et al., 2021). However, it is unclear whether those implementing mindfulness-based interventions are culturally responsive that is to: a) differentiate between Buddhism’s Right Mindfulness vs secular Mindfulness...

A common misconception about Asian Americans and their collectivistic culture is that enmeshment can be used to describe family interpersonal relationships. This perceived sense of enmeshment can sometimes be misunderstood by people from individualistic cultures. If we impose value systems of individualism and boundary setting, how might that impact the relationship with Asian American clients? Is...

The model minority myth is a stereotype that portrays Asian Americans as being a successful and hardworking group of people who have overcome discrimination to achieve success. This myth is often used to minimize the role of racism in the lives of Asian Americans and to pit them against other racialized groups. The model minority myth has a number of negative impacts on Asian Americans both psycho...

How do we lead through the example of deep interconnectedness in human relationships? In this episode, we hear from Dr. Reyna, a descendant of the indigenous peoples, Choctaw and Purépecha. Dr. Reyna shares a brief history of how the Choctaw Nation sent money to starving Irish families during the potato famine in 1847. This act of generosity was particularly remarkable given that the Choctaws had...

In this AAPI episode, we'll be exploring the complex and often contradictory ways that Asian American men are socialized about gender and race. Asian American men are socialized about gender and race largely influenced by white hegemonic masculinity. Further, these messages come from our families, our communities, and the media. They tell Asian American boys and men what it means to be a man,...

According to the US Census, the Multiracial population has changed considerably since 2010. It was measured at 9 million people in 2010 and is now 33.8 million people in 2020, a 276% increase. Maintaining a sense of cultural humility will be key to helping clients navigate their multiracial identities. In this AAPI episode, Dr. Dhaliwal who identifies as multiracial, shares with us her journey bot...

South Asian Americans are a growing racial group in the United States and make up a large portion of the U.S. immigrant population. Many are highly motivated and come into therapy when many resources have been exhausted. We must recognize that traditional forms of therapy might not work and that it is important to provide a framework, freedom of language expression, and help South Asian clients fe...

Many of us who practice psychology in the United States are not aware of the profound and deep Eurocentric ideals embedded in western psychology. How do we learn about the impact and collaborate outside of our immediate network? BIPOC mental health providers are truly well positioned to help reshape and rethink as efforts to decolonize psychology take shape. In this episode, Dr. Neeta speaks to us...