Opportunities for psychologists to advance health equity: Using liberation psychology to identify key lessons from 17 years of praxis (original) (raw)
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American Psychologist, 2024
In the face of harmful disparities and inequities, it is crucial for researchers to critically reflect on methodologies and research practices that can dismantle systems of oppression, accommodate pluralistic realities, and facilitate opportunities for all communities to thrive. Historically, knowledge production for the sciences has followed a colonial and colonizing approach that continues to silence and decontextualize the lived experiences of people of color. This article acknowledges the harm to people of color communities in the name of research and draws from decolonial and liberation frameworks to advance research practices and psychological science toward equity and social justice. In this article, we propose a lens rooted in decolonial and liberatory principles that researchers can use to rethink and guide their scientific endeavors and collaborations toward more ethical, equitable, inclusive, respectful, and pluralistic research practices. The proposed lens draws on literature from community psychology and our lessons learned from field studies with historically marginalized Latinx communities to highlight six interrelated tensions that are important to address in psychological research from a decolonizing and liberatory lens. These interrelated tensions involve conflicting issues of (a) power, (b) competence, (c) practices and theories, (d) rationale, (e) approach, and (f) trust. In addition, seven practical recommendations and examples for decolonial and liberatory research practices are outlined. The recommendations can assist researchers in identifying ways to ameliorate and address the interrelated tensions to give way to decolonial and liberatory research practices. Community and social justice scientists have the responsibility to decommission oppressive research practices and engage in decolonization and liberation toward a valid, ethical, equitable, and inclusive psychological science. Public Significance Statement This article acknowledges the harm to communities of people of color in the name of research and provides practical recommendations to address interrelated tensions to advance research practices toward a valid, ethical, equitable, and inclusive psychological science.
Racism and Its Role in the Mental Health Care System
Racism still exists! It just has taken on a new form, a more subtle form, made up of two types: covert and overt racism. With the help of the social media, this neo-racism against specific group of people are gaining spotlight in the public. Studies show that physical illnesses within the African American population is highest compared to other ethnic minorities because of high level of stress caused by exposure to racism. Many findings propelled the psychology field to implement diversity training among professionals but oftentimes, internalized racism occurs in the workplace. The popular "colorblind" approach debunks the notion that racism, in fact, can be a source of high stress among patients. Supervisor-supervisee relationships are affected due to supervisors not acknowledging the prior fact, which causes aspiring psychologists to practice mediocre mental healthcare or simply drop out of these programs. The National Center for Education Statistics (2011) reported that majority of any psychology degrees were given to white American students and U.S. Census Bureau’s data (2001) showed that the graduation rate for racial minorities were much lower than white students (APA, 2003). The institutionalized racism within the mental health care system benefits white majority with treatments and research that center around their needs while there is a clear lack of any benefits gained by targeted minorities. In order to balance the disparity, diversity studies and diversity training should be standard within the workplace.
A Dangerous Opportunity: Recommendations for Dismantling Racism in Psychology in the United States
The discipline of psychology, with its roots in scientific racism, has been complicit with the enactment of racist policies that have significantly harmed the psychological well-being of many minoritized people in colonial societies. The American Psychological Association (APA) has acknowledged and apologized for this racist history and has committed to an antiracist path for the future to right the wrongs. As a part of Dangerous Opportunities special issue, we examine the antecedents to racism in psychology, the racist behaviors of psychology and the APA during its existence, and the harmful consequences contributed by racist policies supported or endorsed by psychologists. Additionally, we provide a listing of required changes we view as necessary for the discipline of psychology and the APA (as its primary professional organization) to enact to prepare the discipline and the Association for antiracist activities and to capably and responsibly support and advance antiracist policies outside of psychology in the public interests. Transformation of the discipline and its associations, institutions, and programs is necessary for psychology to remain locally and globally relevant in a culturally diverse and interdependent. Antiracist activities are essential for this transformation to occur.
The Roles of Counseling Psychologists in Reducing Health Disparities
The Counseling Psychologist, 2007
This article presents an overview of the health disparities problem that exists among individuals from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds and their majority counterparts. The argument is made that the involvement of counseling psychologists in addressing this health disparities problem presents an opportunity for the field to remain true to its commitment to prevention, multiculturalism, and social justice while becoming more competitive in the health care and health promotion fields. This article highlights the prevalence of health disparities and identifies the primary factors contributing to these disparities. In addition, the roles and approaches that counseling psychologists can adopt to help alleviate this problem are specified.
Dismantling Systemic Racism and Advancing Health Equity throughout Research
NAM Perspectives, 2022
The Biden Administration-with its Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, which was released on January 20, 2021-created a timely opportunity to dismantle racism throughout and across a variety of government-funded research infrastructures, including health, biomedical, social, and behavioral research, as well as research focused on the social determinants of health (The White House, 2021). In keeping with the intent of the executive order, all structures and institutions that defi ne who, what, where, why, and how research is conceptualized, funded, and conducted must decenter whiteness and ensure that all scholars and communities have access to funding to conduct research that advances health equity. Only then will research in the U.S. achieve its full future potential in discovery, application, and education. To advance progress toward this goal, the authors of this commentary propose three broad areas for urgent action.
Social Justice: What Has Health Psychology Contributed?
The European health psychologist, 2011
The current economic crisis in Europe behoves all organisations to reexamine the contribution that they make to society. Put simply, society wants to know if it is getting value for money from the services and organisations they fund. The EHPS is predominately populated by university employees whose salaries are (typically) funded by taxpayers. Thus, the need for Health Psychology to be relevant has never been more important. The present article was prompted, in some part, by the thought provoking keynote speech by Prof. Michael Murray (EHPS Cluj; 2010), whereby Michael suggested that Health Psychology has a weak ego and challenged us all to ruminate on how our activities impact upon society. This is a good question, and deserves an answer. With all the aforementioned in mind, I have approached a sample of senior health psychologists to ascertain their personal experiences of how their own careers have contributed to social justice in the world. The following article represents their responses to the following question: How do these aims match the aims of social justice? Psychology is the scientific study of the interaction of behaviour, cognition and emotion with each other, and with the environment. Although environmental context is crucial to psychology, its role is often a secondary rather than primary focus. Applying psychology to the promotion of health and reduction of disability has the capacity to increase social well-being, but this does not automatically translate into increasing equity and equality. Improved health services can lead to increased inequality, due to unequal access to services, with those from low income and ethnic minority groups underserved by services. Population health interventions, such as persuasive mass media marketing, can also increase inequality if not targeted to the more deprived sections of the population.
Prevention Science, 2022
The historic momentum from national conversations on the roots and current impacts of racism in the USA presents an incredible window of opportunity for prevention scientists to revisit how common theories, measurement tools, methodologies, and interventions can be radically re-envisioned, retooled, and rebuilt to dismantle racism and promote equitable health for minoritized communities. Recognizing this opportunity, the NIH-funded Prevention Science and Methodology Group (PSMG) launched a series of presentations focused on the role of Prevention Science to address racism and discrimination guided by a commitment to social justice and health equity. The current manuscript aims to advance the field of Prevention Science by summarizing key issues raised during the series' presentations and proposing concrete research priorities and steps that hold promise for promoting health equity by addressing systemic racism. Being anti-racist is an active practice for all of us, whether we identify as methodologists, interventionists, practitioners, funders, community members, or an intersection of these identities. We implore prevention scientists and methodologists to take on these conversations with us to promote science and practice that offers every life the right to live in a just and equitable world.
More than being against it: Anti-racism and anti-oppression in mental health services
Transcultural Psychiatry, 2012
Anti-racism and anti-oppression frameworks of practice are being increasingly advocated for in efforts to address racism and oppression embedded in mental health and social services, and to help reduce their impact on mental health and clinical outcomes. This literature review summarizes how these two philosophies of practice are conceptualized and the strategies used within these frameworks as they are applied to service provision toward racialized groups. The strategies identified can be grouped in seven main categories: empowerment, education, alliance building, language, alternative healing strategies, advocacy, social justice/activism, and fostering reflexivity. Although anti-racism and anti-oppression frameworks have limitations, they may offer useful approaches to service delivery and would benefit from further study.
Counseling Psychology and the Amelioration of Oppression: Translating Our Knowledge Into Action
The Counseling Psychologist, 2019
In the new millennium, counseling psychologists have answered the call to address oppression related to intersectional identities. We have played a major role in the development of practice guidelines and policies, as well as in the application of ethical principles in cultural contexts. The Counseling Psychologist has served to disseminate information addressing needs and interventions for diverse communities. In this article, we review the history and impact of our efforts to ameliorate oppression. The pressing challenges of economic and educational disparities are highlighted along with how counseling psychologists are uniquely situated to meet the needs of the underserved. Our research, training, and practice are anchored in methodological pluralism, global helping paradigms, participatory engagement, and the promotion of liberation and radical healing. We offer recommendations to deconstruct current models and reconstruct