Social Justice
Delve into the critical issues of social justice within psychotherapy. This section focuses on addressing disparities, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring that all individuals have access to high-quality mental health care.
62 articles found
“TAKE ONE FRESH AND TENDER KISS”
The Centennial APA President: On New Year’s Day, Jack Wiggins – the American Psychological Association’s Centennial President – celebrated his Centennial birthday. Twenty admirers gathered for a virtual birthday party on Zoom, to share tributes and remembrances, toasting and roasting throughout. The festivities culminated in heartfelt singing of “Happy Birthday.” An inspirational visionary, Jack shaped […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
January 17, 2026
Economic Factors on Drug Use in Adolescence
For adolescents and teenagers today, the pressures leading to substance use extend beyond peer influence or rebellion. Other factors, like economic challenges, are also an integral part of shaping adolescent behaviors, including drug and alcohol use (Goodman & Huang, 2002). Rising inequity and financial instability coupled with limited access to mental health resources contribute to […]
Anjali Modak, student + 1 more
November 30, 2025
Art Therapy with Ukrainian Refugees: A Pilot Program
In recent years, the number of worldwide refugees has skyrocketed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, 2025) reported there are over 43 million refugees—more than double what it was just 10 years ago—and 8 million asylum seekers internationally. Displaced people need support in variety of ways ranging from physical security to psychological treatment. […]
Katerina Scott, BA + 1 more
September 25, 2025
Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change: A Transdiagnostic Approach – Part II
As discussed in Part I (link), mental health can be significantly impacted by climate change. Part II will describe how various mental health disorders intersect with climate change Symptoms of Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, and Climate Change Climate change can have both direct and indirect effects on symptoms of clinical depression (Ellis & Albrecht, 2017; […]
Maggie Grandsire, BS + 1 more
June 24, 2025
Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change: A Transdiagnostic Approach – Part I
Undoubtedly, climate change is causing lasting impacts on our natural environment (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2023). The climate crisis is exacerbating unprecedented extreme weather events, like Hurricane Helene in North Carolina in 2024 (Thiem & Lindsey, 2024) and the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in 2025 (Smith, 2025). It is increasing the risk of more […]
Maggie Grandsire, BS + 1 more
June 24, 2025
Beyond the Binary: Challenging American Gender Policies Through Philosophy, Biology, and Cultural History
The rigid binary classifications imposed by the American government on gender and the corresponding policies targeting transgender individuals rest on an outdated and essentialist understanding of sex and identity. These policies, which legislate bodies and identities through restrictive definitions, stand in stark contrast to both contemporary gender theory and a long history of cultural recognition […]
Limor Ast, LMFT
April 21, 2025
Women Leaders on Unsolicited Advice and Competence-Questioning Communication
The field of psychology has increasingly been making calls for psychologists to engage in advocacy as “citizen psychologists” (APA, 2020). Indeed, 2017 APA President Henderson Daniel made a call to action for engagement in volunteer efforts within professional organizations (e.g., APA and its divisions), as well as leadership within these organizations, as one primary avenue […]
Amy E. Ellis, Ph.D. + 1 more
April 17, 2025
The Future of Master’s-Level Psychotherapists Trained in Psychology
Master’s-level psychotherapists have been receiving degrees and practicing psychotherapy for many years. As most are aware, there are different types of training programs at the master’s level. Importantly, some of those training programs are explicitly grounded in psychology. For example, programs in Counseling Psychology often offer both master’s and doctoral training, and there are some […]
Jake Jackson-Wolf, LCPC + 1 more
April 16, 2025
How weight stigma shows up in therapy and what to do about it
We live in a society where body size is not a neutral feature, but one imbued with assumptions and meanings. Thinness is seen as a symbol of virtue, restraint, and health, whereas fatness is believed to represent gluttony, laziness, and illness. These pervasive societal assumptions lay the groundwork for weight stigma, which is defined as […]
Samantha Philip, M.S. + 4 more
March 24, 2025
Pregnancy and Eating Disorders Among Cisgender Women
General Mental Health, Pregnancy, and Cisgender Women One in five adults are impacted by mental health concerns in the United States. There is nearly a 12% discrepancy between prevalence of mental health concerns in men (40%) and women (51.7%; National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2023). This divergence begins as young as puberty, where the ratio […]
Zoe Ross-Nash, PsyD + 1 more
March 3, 2025
THE BREAKERS BREAKING. THE SEAGULLS SQUAWKING
During the Closing Hours of 2024 The last time the Republican Party (GOP) controlled the Senate, House, and Presidency was from January 20, 2017 to January 3, 2019, during which time Donald Trump was President of the United States having being inaugurated on January 20, 2017. With this historical context in mind, the 118th Congress struggled […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
January 7, 2025
First-Generation Students in Higher Education: Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Navigating higher education presents challenges for most students. However, first-generation college students often face unique barriers that can make the path to higher education more difficult. As individuals who are a first-generation college student (Kaitlynn-Elizabeth H. Brooks; KHB) and a first-generation college graduate (Nicholas R. Morrison; NRM) invested in careers involving psychotherapy, we recognize the […]
Kaitlynn-Elizabeth H. Brooks + 1 more
December 3, 2024