Diversity Training in Clinical Psychology

We offer discrete experiences for our students as part of diversity training throughout the Clinical Psychology program, working within a diversity training model of building awareness, knowledge, and skills related to multiculturalism, all in the context of cultural humility.

Multiculturalism Orientation
An interactive workshop occurring the day before 1st year students start classes.

This event begins to orient students to the many layers of diversity and aims to increase awareness of our own areas of diversity and biases. This orientation usually provides students with an overview of the diversity training in the program as well as information about the Diversity Training Committee.

Ethics Autobiography (as part of PSYC 815 – Ethics & Practice)
In this course assignment, students are asked “to reflect on their personal ethics of origin and their ethnic and religious background, as well as what they have already learned about psychology ethics” and are challenged “to consider specifically how their own personal values, backgrounds, and traditions may interact or conflict with professional ethics principles and rules in psychology.” (Bashe, Anderson, Handelsman, & Klevansky, 2007)

Diversity Presentation (as part of PSYC 806 – Research Methods)
In this course assignment, students lead a 30-45 minute presentation, including learning objectives, on a topic related to diversity in clinical science; example topics include conducting research with underrepresented groups (e.g., race/ethnicity, social class, age, gender) and addressing measurement equivalence; in addition to the presentation, students write a reflection paper on how their research for the diversity presentation informed the research design for their grant proposal (culminating course assignment).

Cultural Genogram (as part of PSYC 827 – Multiculturalism)
An activity that lets students better understand their own cultural identities and family history with the aim of increasing insight and appreciation of how culture may impact them in their roles as clinicians and how culture may influence the lives of their clients.

Multicultural Case Conference
Presentations by more senior students (usually 4th or 5th year students) of clinical cases where diversity played an important role, followed by a discussion among students, faculty, and supervisors.

These case presentations at a Clinical Lunch are intended to provide students with increased exposure to clinical situations where some aspect of diversity was salient to the case conceptualization and to provoke discussion of clinical skills and considerations important in demonstrating multicultural competence in clinical work. These activities usually have an interactive component.

Diversity Journal Club (DJC)
Part of the Clinical Psychology program-wide lunchtime seminar (Clinical Lunch) where topics related to diversity are a key focus.

The format of this seminar varies but aims to be interactive (e.g., discussion; practice of skills) and has included the discussion of journal articles, presentations from guest speakers, and presentations from our own students or faculty. There are about 2-3 DJC-focused clinical lunches across each academic year.