Equity & Inclusion Committee

Committee to Advance Equitable and Inclusive Clinical Science and Practice 

Committee Description and Guiding Vision

The Committee to Advance Equitable and Inclusive Clinical Science and Practice is devoted to enhancing awareness, knowledge, and skill around topics related to culturally responsive clinical practice, research, and teaching. The Committee is comprised of students, faculty, and staff within the Clinical program who work collaboratively to develop events and policies that will help foster growth, learning, and change that is in line with the Committee’s specific mission (described below). We are dedicated to continually evolving and improving with time as we seek out new perspectives, ideas, data, and recommendations from researchers, clinicians, and the communities we serve and of which we are a part. This includes information about the roles of culture, social justice, advocacy, privilege and oppression, and inclusion and equity in clinical, research, and teaching arenas. We also aim to foster inclusivity within our spaces so individuals feel welcome, safe, and acknowledged. We are committed to promoting equitable practices that consider the perspectives and needs of diverse voices and facilitating the adoption of more culturally responsive policies within our spheres of influence. 

Mission Statement

  1. Increase knowledge among those in the clinical program (e.g., students, faculty, staff) of how intersecting identities (e.g., culture, race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality) can impact mental health on individual and systemic levels.
  2. Facilitate reflection on our own cultural identities and areas of privilege and marginalization, how our identities shape our interactions across our professional contexts, and broaden our awareness of how others’ identities shape their experiences across their unique contexts.
  3. Translate this knowledge and reflection into tangible skills that allow for more culturally-responsive approaches to the science, teaching, and practice of clinical psychology.

How We Implement the Mission Statement

  1. Provide opportunities and collaborative spaces (e.g., didactic seminars, discussion groups, clinical workshops, guest lectures) to discuss topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and develop practical skills for students, faculty, and staff to engage with these topics in clinical, research, and teaching contexts.
  2. Identify ways in which the clinical psychology program can best serve diversity, equity, and inclusion-related training goals, and create partnerships between students and faculty to work toward reaching these goals.

Events and Initiatives

The Diversity Committee hosts a meeting or event each month during the academic year. Below are example of events and initiatives put together by the Diversity Committee:

  • Program-wide clinical workshop on addressing cultural differences in therapy
  • Panel discussion on gender equality in the clinical sciences
  • Student-led case conferences on patients in which elements of diversity impacted their presentation and the course of treatment
  • Faculty presentation on multicultural issues in neuropsychology
  • Development of a Task Force working with CARD to evaluate how the clinic can best serve individuals from underrepresented backgrounds

The clinical Committee works in conjunction with the department-level Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.