Commitment to diversity

The Clinical Psychology PhD Program is strongly committed to promoting appreciation for and skills in working within the intersections of cultural and individual diversity. The program’s emphasis on the diversity including indigenous peoples and Latinas/os and integrated healthcare, trains students to consider the role of culture and environment in mental and emotional health in assessment and intervention. Towards that end, the program offers a “Diversity Engagement Forum” open to the community as a safe arena to discuss and learn more about issues/events impacting diversity. Respect for diverse backgrounds highlights the culture of the program.

Northern Arizona University promotes global engagement and the College of Education and Department of Clinical Psychology collaborate with the University Center for International Education to develop graduate and undergraduate experiences in global cultures and host international faculty and graduate students. Recent foci of the international programs have included China, Italy, and Western Europe.

The program’s commitment to diversity and international engagement is incorporated into the PsyD curriculum in terms of class readings, assignments, and clinical training across courses at various levels of knowledge and skill development. Diversity issues are infused throughout the courses in the curriculum; the syllabi document coverage of this topic within courses. Comprehensive coverage of this issue is provided in the diversity course (CPP740). Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations (CPP740) provides an in-depth review and reinforcement of how personal history/biases affect relations with others and requires that students integrate this understanding into professional roles. PP7340 also offers a comprehensive and detailed study of the current theoretical and empirical knowledge base as it relates to addressing diversity in all professional activities including research, training, supervision/consultation, and service. In the practicum seminars, relevant diversity issues are discussed in the presentation of clinical cases. Intervention and Assessment courses require students to account for and integrate diversity knowledge and skill in developing and treating individuals and interpreting their test results. Practicum and internship supervisors facilitate students’ diversity competence in applied clinical work. All students complete practicum which involve providing psychological services to underserved and under- represented populations.

NAU has implemented a coherent plan to ensure that all students are taught the necessary skills and competencies with an emphasis on valuing diversity and exploring the cultural context of behavior in most courses. Specifically, the following diversity objectives are integrated in most courses across the curriculum: a) Self-awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of others; b) Acquisition of knowledge about diversity including but not limited to racial/ethnic, sociocultural/socioeconomic, gender, national origin/immigrant status, affectional orientation, religious/spiritual, and physical ability groups; c) Development of inquiry skills and methods of understanding diversity issues within their socio-historical contexts; d) Student consideration and evaluation of the limitations and applicability of different theoretical orientations as they pertain to diverse groups; e) Development of treatment approaches that are culturally responsive and incorporate the clients’ worldview; and f) Awareness of applicability and limitations of standardized testing instruments with diverse groups.