Liberation Now Podcast

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In this episode, Helen Neville and Radia DeLuna speak with Dr. Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas and Dr. Hector Y. Adames about decolonizing psychology and psychotherapy. Dr. Chavez-Dueñas and Dr. Adames share their insights regarding liberation and decolonization as constant, sometimes painful, journeys and their critical roles in psychology. Listen as we examine the transformative power of unlearning and liberating our minds, and imagine what becomes possible when we embrace liberation psychology in our psychological practice, scientific inquiry, and everyday lives.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Dr. Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas is a Full Professor at The Chicago School, College of Professional Psychology where she serves as the faculty coordinator for the concentration in Latinx Mental Health in the Counseling Psychology Department. She is the co-founder and co-director of the IC-RACE Lab. Her scholarship examines colorism, racism, immigration, and culturally grounded mental health practices in Latinx communities, with a focus on healing from ethnoracial trauma and advancing decolonial approaches to psychology. She has authored and co-authored several influential books and numerous articles on Latinx mental health and social justice in psychology and earned several awards from the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA) the National Multicultural Conference Summit.

Dr. Hector Y. Adames is a nationally recognized leader in decolonial and liberation psychology. As a Full Professor at The Chicago School, College of Professional Psychology, he co-founded and co-directs the IC-RACE Lab, driving research on ethics, racism, racial trauma, and culturally responsive psychotherapy for Communities of Color. Dr. Adames has authored or co-authored eight influential books and numerous articles, advancing innovative approaches within psychology designed to support Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. His work has earned prestigious honors from the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (APA Division 45), the National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA), and the American Psychological Association for his commitment to human rights and racial justice through research, service, and mentorship.

SELECTED WORKS RELATED TO THE EPISODE

Adames, H. Y., & Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y. (2026). Construyendo a decolonial Latinx mental health with Black and Indigenous Latinxs at the center. In M. Campos, Y. Mejia, & A. Consoli (Eds.), Forging caminos: Pathways to becoming a bilingual mental health professional (pp. 69–85). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000481-005

Adames, H. Y., Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Jernigan, M. M., & Helms, J. E. (2025). Racism-conscious reflexivity in qualitative research: A practical methodological framework. Qualitative Psychology, 12(2), 129–141. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000315 (https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/qup0000315)

Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Adames, H. Y., Perez-Chavez, J. G., & Salas, S. P. (2019). Healing ethno-racial trauma in Latinx immigrant communities: Cultivating hope, resistance, and action. American Psychologist, 74(1), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000289

Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Adames, H. Y., Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. T. (2025). The fierce ethical urgency of decoloniality in therapy: From understanding to action. American Psychologist, 80(4), 510–521. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001370

Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Perez-Chavez, J. G., & Adames, H. Y. (2026). Echoes from the HEART: Applying the healing ethno and racial trauma framework with Immigrants of Color. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0002222

Comas-Díaz, L., Adames, H. Y., & Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y. (Eds.). (2024). Decolonial psychology: Toward anticolonial theories, research, training, and practice. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000376-000

Goertz, M. T., Adames, H. Y., Parker, C., Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., DeLuna, R., & Perez-Chavez, J. G. (2024). The decolonial mentoring framework: Advancing an anticolonial future in psychology and beyond. In L. Comas-Díaz, H. Y. Adames, & N. Y. Chavez-Dueñas (Eds.), Decolonial psychology: Toward anticolonial theories, research, training, and practice (pp. 247–269). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000376-011

Pope, K. S., Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Adames, H. Y., Sonne, J. L., & Greene, B. A. (2023). Speaking the unspoken: Breaking the silence, myths, and taboos that hurt therapists and patients. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000350-000

Pope, K. S., Vasquez, M. J. T., Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., & Adames, H. Y. (2026). Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: A practical guide (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro: Radia DeLuna and Helen Neville

Episode Outro: Radia DeLuna and Helen Neville

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In this Juneteenth episode, Helen Neville speaks with Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons about reparations as a process of repair, healing, historical truth, and self-determination. The conversation explores the legal foundations of reparations, the relationship between public policy and racial justice, the importance of restoring memory and ancestry, and concrete ways listeners can engage in reparative justice.

ABOUT THE GUEST

State Representative Carol Ammons is serving her sixth term representing Illinois' 103rd District, proudly serving the communities of Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding region. A lifelong activist and accomplished legislator, Rep. Ammons has dedicated her career to advancing equity, justice, and opportunity for all Illinoisans. She made history as the first African American woman elected to represent the 103rd District, and she continues to be a steadfast advocate for her constituents and a leading voice on issues of racial justice, economic equity, environmental sustainability, higher education, and community well-being.

With nearly 15 years of elected public service spanning county, municipal, and state government, Rep. Ammons brings the perspective of both a grassroots organizer and an experienced policymaker. Her work is grounded in the belief that lasting social change requires strong partnerships between community organizers and elected officials. Throughout her legislative career, she has championed transformative policies that expand opportunity, remove systemic barriers, and strengthen communities across Illinois.

Committee Assignments

Chair, Energy & Environment Committee
Appropriations – Higher Education
Economic Opportunity & Equity
Ethics & Elections
Higher Education
Museum, Arts, Culture, & Entertainment
Personnel & Pensions

Task Forces and Commissions

Comprehensive Licensing Information to Minimize Barriers Task Force
Commission on Equitable Public University Funding
Mahomet Aquifer Council
Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices Final Report Implementation Task Force
Task Force on Campus Sexual Misconduct Climate Surveys
Task Force on Higher Education in Prisons

REPARATIONS INITIATIVES * First Repair National organization supporting state and local reparations initiatives and hosting the National Symposium on State and Local Reparations. * H.R. 40 Federal bill to establish a commission to study and develop reparations proposals. * S.40 Senate companion legislation on reparations. * California Reparations Task Force Report Landmark report and recommendations. * Evanston Reparations Nation's first publicly funded municipal reparations program. * New York State Reparations Commission Information on New York's reparations commission. * Asheville Community Reparations Local reparations initiative. * TAKIR (The African Kinship and Identity Reconstruction Project) Illinois genealogy initiative that reconnects African descendants with family histories.

SELECTED REPARATIONS GROUPS

N'COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America)
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM)
CARICOM Reparations Commission
National Reparations Network

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED * Learn about reparations efforts in your own community. * Attend the National Symposium on State and Local Reparations. * Support state and local reparations legislation. * Read scholarship on reparative justice and African American history. * Engage elected officials about reparative policies. * Support organizations advancing healing, historical truth, and self-determination.

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Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & Bluesky: @liberationlab_

EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro/Outro: Helen Neville

Episode Production: Helen Neville and Salman Safir

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Episode Description

In this episode of Liberation Now, Salman Safir and Helen Neville sit down with Dr. José Causadias to discuss his recent open access textbook, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the United States. Drawing from his experiences as a Panamanian immigrant and scholar, Dr. Causadias describes the book as a "love letter" to the United States. In this powerful text he critically unpacks the myth of the American Dream, centers the lived experiences and scholarship of Women of Color, and exposes how laws and policies actively produce inequity. We explore why accessibility matters, how stories and case studies can cultivate critical consciousness, and what it means to ground JEDI work in ethics, care, and humanization. This is a powerful conversation you won't want to miss if you're committed to justice, collective action, and liberation.

ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. José M. Causadias (he/him) is a Panamanian developmental psychologist, activist, and author of "Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the United States" a new Open Access textbook published by Cambridge University Press. He earned a bachelor's in psychology at Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua in Panama in 2001, a master in psychotherapy at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain in 2004, and a PhD in Child Psychology at the University of Minnesota in 2014. He worked as faculty in the School of Family and Human Development at Arizona State University from 2015 to 2025. He received tenure in 2021 and was promoted to Associate Professor. He is currently the Director of the Education Research Center in Panama.

He pursues innovation in theory and research on culture, development, and mental health to improve the lives of Latinx children, youth, and families, especially Panamanian. He has employed systematic reviews and meta-analyses to document the link between risk, protective, and promotive factors in the development of psychopathology, including familism values, racial discrimination, and ethnic neighborhood concentration. He has examined the role of rituals and celebrations during the pandemic and developmental transitions, and their link to mental health, including graduations and funerals. He has co-edited several handbooks and special issues in journals such as American Psychologist, Cultural Development and Ethnic Minority Psychology,Development and Psychopathology, and Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. In 2025, he was named Salzburg Global scholar.

Selected Publications

Causadias, J. M. (2025). Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the United States. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781009098151

Causadias, J. M., & Neblett, E. W. (2024). PARQUES: Dreaming a future for our Latinx children, youth, and families. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 53(1), 129-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2024.2304140

Tyrell, F., Neville, H. A., Causadias, J. M., Cokley, K., & Adams-Wiggins, K. (2023). Reclaiming the past and transforming our future: Introduction to the special issue on foundational contributions of Black scholars in psychology. American Psychologist, 78(4), 367–375. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001170

Causadias, J. M., Alcalá, L., Morris, K. S., Yaylaci, F. T., & Zhang, N. (2022). Future directions on BIPOC youth mental health: The importance of cultural rituals in the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 51(4), 577-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2022.2084744

Cahill, K. M., Updegraff, K. A., Causadias, J. M., & Korous, K. M. (2021). Familism values and adjustment among Hispanic/Latino individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 147(9), 947-985. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000336

Causadias, J. M. (2020). What is culture? Systems of people, places, and practices. Applied Developmental Science, 24(4), 310-322. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2020.1789360

Causadias, J. M. (2013). A roadmap for the integration of culture into developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 25(4pt2), 1375-1398. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579413000679

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Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & Bluesky: @liberationlab_

EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro/Outro: Helen Neville

Episode Production: Helen Neville and Salman Safir

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Episode Description

In this episode, Radia DeLuna, Salman Safir, and Helen Neville speak with Dr. Devin Atallah about his decolonial and liberation psychology praxis. Together, they explore grief, hope, and possibility for Palestinians amidst ongoing genocide. This deep and moving conversation delves into love, loss, and the power of storytelling, highlighting how our stories root us in history while inspiring us to imagine and build just futures. We reflect on the idea of future as a weapon. You won't want to miss it.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Devin George Atallah is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Massachusetts Boston (https://www.umb.edu/directory/devinatallah/). Dr. Atallah is also currently a Research Fellow with the Institute for Social and Health Sciences at the University of South Africa. Dr. Atallah is a multiracial Palestinian living in the shataat (diaspora) who strives to engage decolonial and community-based approaches to critical inquiry. Dr. Atallah's scholarship focuses on Palestinian grief and revolutionary love, intergenerational healing and decolonial resistance.

GUEST SELECTED WORK

Atallah, D.G. (2025). Future is a weapon. Social Text Online, Palestine Now dossier. https://socialtextjournal.org/periscope_article/future-is-a-weapon/.

Atallah, D. G., Abu-Rayyan, N. M., Masud, H. R., & Hakim, C. (2025). Supervision as decolonial love: Toward a transformative training process for Palestinian community health workers. American Psychologist, 80(4), 563–575. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001364

Atallah, D.G. (forthcoming). Resisting the "empirical" empire: Reclaiming Palestinian knowing in a time of scholasticide. PINS-Psychology in Society.

Atallah, D.G. & Abu-Jamei, Y. (2025). Re-thinking trauma against a genocidal world: Palestinian healing is a sound of our victory. Journal of Palestine Studies, 54(1), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/0377919X.2025.2481819

Atallah, D.G. & Awartani, H. (2024). Embodying homeland: Palestinian grief and the perseverance of beauty in a time of genocide. Journal of Palestine Studies, 53 (1), 137-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/0377919X.2024.2344419

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EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro/Outro: Helen Neville

Episode Production: Helen Neville, Salman Safir, Radia DeLuna

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In this episode, Helen Neville speaks with Dr. Mary Frances Berry and Dr. Sundiata Cha-Jua about their powerful new edited collection (with V.P. Franklin), Reparations and Reparatory Justice: Past, Present, and Future. Listen in to explore the global fight for reparations, uncover pivotal moments in the U.S. movement, and hear bold visions of what justice, liberation, and healing could truly look like for African Americans.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Mary Frances Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania where she teaches American legal and African American history in the Department of History. In 1984, Berry co-founded the Free South Africa Movement. From 1993–2004, she chaired the US Commission of Civil Rights. She has served as the chancellor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and interim provost for the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland (1976–1977). She is the author of numerous award-winning books, including Black Resistance/White Law: A History of Constitutional Racism in America (1971, expanded ed. 1994) and My Face Is Black Is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations (2005), and most recently Slavery After Slavery: Revealing the Legacy of Forced Child Apprenticeships on Black Families, from Emancipation to the Present(2025). She has received 37 honorary doctoral degrees and many awards, including the NAACP’s Roy Wilkins Award, the Rosa Parks Award of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Ebony Magazine Black Achievement Award.

Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua teaches in the departments of African American Studies and History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He authored America’s First Black Town, Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830–1915(2000), co-edited Race Struggles (University of Illinois Press, 2009) with Theodore Koditschek and Helen Neville. Cha-Jua has published scores of articles in leading Black/Africana Studies, History, and Left journals, including “The Long Movement’ as Vampire: Temporal and Spatial Fallacies in Recent Black Freedom Studies” in the Journal of African American History which co-won the OAH EBSCOhost America: History and Life Award for the best journal article in United States History between 2007-2009. Cha-Jua was President of the National Council for Black Studies, 2010–12, 2012–14; Senior Editor of The Black Scholar, 2011–15; and Associate Editor of the Journal of African American History, 2015–18. He is serving his third 3-year elected term on the Executive Council of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. He writes a bi-weekly column, “RealTalk: A Black Perspective” for the Champaign News Gazette, hosts a bi-weekly podcast, “RealTalk: History as a Weapon for Black Liberation” on the Black Liberation Media network.

SELECTED WORKS BY THE GUESTS

Mary Frances Berry

Berry, M. F. (1971). Black resistance/White law: A history of constitutional racism in America.
Berry, M. F. (1984). Why ERA failed: Politics, women’s rights, and the amending process of the Constitution.
Berry, M. F. (1993). The politics of parenthood: Child care, women’s rights, and the myth of the good mother.
Berry, M. F. (1996). The pig farmer’s daughter and other tales of American justice: Episodes of racism and sexism in the courts from 1865 to the present.
Berry, M. F. (2005). My face is black is true: Callie House and the struggle for ex‑slave reparations.
Berry, M. F. (2009). And justice for all: The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the struggle for freedom in America.
Berry, M. F. (2016). Five dollars and a pork chop sandwich: Vote buying and the corruption of democracy.
Berry, M. F. (2018). History teaches us to resist: How progressive movements have succeeded in challenging times.
Berry, M. F. (2025). Slavery after slavery: Revealing the legacy of forced child apprenticeships on Black families, from emancipation to the present.

Sundiata Cha-Jua

Cha‑Jua, S. K. (2000). America’s First Black Town: Brooklyn, Illinois, 1830–1915.
Koditschek, T., Cha‑Jua, S. K., & Neville, H. A. (Eds.). (2009). Race struggles.
Cha‑Jua, S. K., Berry, M. F., & Franklin, V. P. (Eds.). (2024). Reparations and Reparatory justice: Past, present, and future.
RealTalk: History as a Weapon for Black Liberation with Dr. Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua a biweekly podcast on YouTube and Black Liberation Media.

SELECTED REPARATIONS GROUPS

N’COBRA (National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America)
H.R. 40; Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM)
CARICOM Reparations Commission
National Reparations Network

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Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & Bluesky: @liberationlab_

EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro/Outro: Helen Neville

Episode Editing: Helen Neville

Episode Transcript: bit.ly/LibNowE17

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In this episode, Helen Neville and B. Andi Lee speak with Dr. Matthew Miller about storytelling as liberation. Dr. Miller shares his personal journey and the origin story of the SPOKENproject, which promotes coping with, resisting, surviving, and healing from racism through storytelling. Listen in to explore the transformative power of storytelling—and get inspired to integrate it into your own life and work.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Matthew J. Miller (he/him) is a cisgender heterosexual Korean American male who has spent the latter half of his life trying to understand the many ways in which he has participated in and perpetuated white supremacy, anti-Blackness, racism, and interrelated systems of oppression including sexism, heterosexism, classism, ableism, and toxic masculinity. He is a Professor of Counseling Psychology at Loyola University Chicago where he directs the Race, Culture, and Health Equity Collective and is working to develop the unLEARNING podcast. He is also a filmmaker and the creator of SPOKEN project, a series of first-person narrative documentary style videos designed to help people cope with racism and also provide experiences of validation, support, and healing. He is currently working on a documentary film featuring the Psychology of Radical Healing Collective and another film about the educational legacy of Mamie Till-Mobley.

RESOURCES AND SELECT RESEARCH BY MATTHEW J. MILLER

SPOKENproject: https://www.youtube.com/c/SPOKENproject/featured

Keum, B. T., & Miller, M. J. (2017). Racism in the digital era: Development and initial validation of the Perceived Online Racism Scale (PORS v1.0). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(3), 310-324. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000200

Keum, B. T., & Miller, M. J. (2020). Social justice interdependence among students in counseling psychology training programs: Group actor-partner interdependence model of social justice attitudes, training program norms, advocacy intentions, and peer relationships. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 67(2), 141-153. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000394

Keum, B. T., & Miller, M. J. (2018). Racism on the Internet: Conceptualization and recommendations for research. Psychology of Violence, 8(6), 782-789. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000233

Miller, M. J., Keum, B. T., Thai, C. J., Lu, Y., Truong, N. N., Huh, G. A., ... & Ahn, L. H. (2018). Practice recommendations for addressing racism: A content analysis of the counseling psychology literature. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65(6), 669-684. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000301

Miller, M. J., Jungeun Kim, Grace A. Chen, & Alvin N. Alvarez. (2012). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the Asian American Racism-Related Stress Inventory. Assessment, 19(1), 53-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191112456407

Pieterse, A. L., Lewis, J. A., & Miller, M. J. (2023). Dismantling and eradicating anti-Blackness and systemic racism. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(3), 235-249. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000799

SELECTED RESOURCES ON STORYTELLING AS LIBERATION

Bell, L. A. (2020). Storytelling for social justice: Connecting narrative and the arts in antiracist teaching. Routledge.

Dutta, U. (2023). Reimagining the politics of belonging through counterstorytelling: A decolonial praxis of refusal and desire. Qualitative Inquiry, 29(5), 539-550. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004221118690

Fernández, J. S. (2022). A Mujerista Liberation Psychology perspective on testimonio to cultivate decolonial healing. Women & Therapy, 45(2-3), 131-156.

Hayvon, J. C. (2024). Assessing inequalities in storytelling & narrative media: Conceptualizing a Freirean methodology. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 41(5), 476-489.

OrigiNatives Storytelling Project. (n.d.). https://www.jillianfish.com/originatives

Solnit, R. (2020). Storytelling and the work of justice: What do they have to do with each other? Greenpeace. https://storytelling.greenpeace.org/story/1699/storytelling-and-the-work-of-justice-what-do-they-have-to-do-with-each-other

Storytelling and Social Change: A Strategy Guide. (n.d.). Narrative Arts. https://narrativearts.org/story-guide/

Toliver, S. R. (2021). Recovering Black storytelling in qualitative research: Endarkened storywork. Routledge.

Voice of Witness. (2020). Say it forward: A guide to social justice storytelling. Voice of Witness. https://voiceofwitness.org/books/say-it-forward/

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Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & Bluesky: @liberationlab_  

EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro: Helen Neville

Episode Outro: Helen Neville

Episode Editing: Helen Neville

Episode Transcript: bit.ly/LibNowEp16

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In this episode, Helen Neville and Radia DeLuna speak with psychologist Dr. Em Matsuno about the meaning and importance of trans and nonbinary joy to wellbeing and liberation. Dr. Matsuno shares insights from their research highlighting the strengths, resilience, and joy found within trans and nonbinary communities. Listen in to learn more about research and community practices celebrating joy among trans and nonbinary youth, families, and adults.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Em Matsuno (they/them) is an assistant professor in Counseling and Counseling Psychology at Arizona State University. Dr. Matsuno’s primary research goals are (1) to understand the minority stressors and resilience factors that Two-Spirt, Trans, and Nonbinary (2STNB) people experience and (2) to develop and test interventions to reduce minority stressors and/or increase resilience factors for 2STNB people. Dr. Matsuno leads the EMpowerment lab, which aims to uplift, center, and empower Two-spirit, trans, and nonbinary (2STNB) people as scholars, researchers, practitioners, activists, and healers within the field of psychology. Dr. Matsuno is active within the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP). They were the chair of the Early Career Professionals (ECP) committee within Division 17 and are on the editorial board for the Journal of Counseling Psychology.

Empowerment Lab Instagram: @empowerment_lab_asu

EMpowerment Lab webpage

SELECTED RESOURCES

Articles

Austin, A., Papciak, R., & Lovins, L. (2022). Gender euphoria: A grounded theory exploration of experiencing gender affirmation. Psychology & Sexuality, 13(5), 1406–1426.
Flynn, S. S., Touhey, S., Sullivan, T. R., & Mereish, E. H. (2024). Queer and transgender joy: A daily diary qualitative study of positive identity factors among sexual and gender minority adolescents. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication.
Matsuno, E., & Israel, T. (2018). Psychological interventions promoting resilience among transgender individuals: Transgender resilience intervention model (TRIM). The Counseling Psychologist, 46(5), 632-655.
Pease, M V., Kang, N., Oluwakemi, G., Jin, L., Bradshaw, B., & Le, T. P. (2024). “It’s like having a superpower”: Reclaiming creativity and the intersectional experiences of trans young adults of color.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 71(4), 215–228.
Shuster, S. M., & Westbrook, L. (2022). Reducing the joy deficit in sociology: A study of transgender joy. Social Problems, spac034.

Workbooks, Guides, and Other Resources

Singh, A. A. (2018). The queer and transgender resilience workbook: Skills for navigating sexual orientation and gender expression. New Harbinger Publications.
The FOLX Trans Joy Guide
EMpowerment Lab Resource Page

Webinars

Affirmative Therapy with Trans and Nonbinary Clients an APA Division 17 Webinar with Drs. Em Matsuno and Sebastian Barr
“It Feels Like Everyone is Coming For Us”: Supporting Trans and Nonbinary Clients in Hostile Environments an APA Division 17 Webinar with Drs. Em Matsuno and Sebastian Barr

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Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & X: @liberationlab_

EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Producers: Helen Neville & Radia DeLuna

Editing: Helen Neville

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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In this episode, Helen Neville speaks with psychologists Drs. Roxanne Donovan, Grace Kim, and Karen Suyemoto about teaching for social justice in these challenging times. The authors share insights from their two books, Teaching Diversity Relationally and Unraveling Assumptions, both published by Routledge. They discuss psychological and social justice frameworks to teaching and learning about power, privilege, oppression, and resistance and they end with thoughts about practicing hope and engaging in self-care strategies amid domestic and global geopolitical crises.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Dr. Roxanne A. Donovan is a licensed psychologist, certified yoga teacher, and Professor of Psychological Sciences at Kennesaw State University. She writes, presents, and teaches on topics of well-being and social justice. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Conversation, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Public Radio, and other media outlets.

Her two coauthored books, Teaching Diversity Relationally and Unraveling Assumptions, apply psychological and structural perspectives to the teaching and learning of diversity.

Her popular Wellness Wednesday newsletter focuses on helping faculty of color and other scholars design purpose-driven lives of meaning, fulfillment, and vitality.

Integrated with her professional identities are her rich and multilayered roles as spouse, mama, sister, and auntie.

Linked in: linkedin.com/in/roxannedonovan

Dr. Grace S. Kim is a clinical professor and chair of the Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development Department at Boston University, Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Dr. Kim was trained in clinical psychology and researches social justice education and Asian American psychology. She explores how students understand the meanings of diversity; how to teach diversity and social justice effectively; and how to train future professionals to be more culturally humble and responsive. She also focuses on resilience and the mental health of Asian Americans, centering their struggles for liberation, social agency, and solidarity with other marginalized groups.

Dr. Kim is the co-author of two books, Unraveling Assumptions: A Primer for Understanding Oppression and Privilege, and Teaching Diversity Relationally: Engaging Emotions and Embracing Possibilities. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 35 & 45) and the Asian American Psychological Association. She is the recipient of the 2023 Boston University Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year award.

Linked in: www.linkedin.com/in/grace-s-kim-75600a8

Instagram: @drgraceskim

Karen L. Suyemoto is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Her teaching, research, and consultations focus on processes and effects of resisting oppression, how racism affects mental health for Asian Americans, and the promotion of organizational change to advance anti-racism and social justice in the academy, and psychological and community organizations. Her recent co-authored books Unraveling Assumptions: A primer for understanding oppression and privilege and Teaching diversity relationallyaim to promote conscientization and social justice action for university and community members.

Dr. Suyemoto has served as the Chair of the American Psychological Association’s Task Force for the Guidelines for Race and Ethnicity in Psychology, as President of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), and as AAPA’s delegate to the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives. Her expertise as an educator has been recognized through multiple awards, including the Toy Caldwell-Colbert Award for Distinguished Educator in Clinical Psychology and the Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award from the Society for Psychology Study of Social Issues. Nominated by her students and colleagues, she was recognized as a White House Champion of Change: Asian American Pacific Islander Women under the Obama administration.

SELECTED RESOURCES

Authors’ Books:

Kim, G. S., Donovan, R. A., & Suyemoto, K. L. (2022). Teaching diversity relationally: Engaging emotions and embracing possibilities. Routledge.

Suyemoto, K. L., Donovan, R. A., & Kim, G. S. (2022). Unraveling assumptions: A primer for understanding oppression and privilege. Routledge.

Other Books:

Pope, K. S., Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Adames, H. Y., Sonne, J. L., & Greene, B. A. (2023). Speaking the unspoken: Breaking the silence, myths, and taboos that hurt therapists and patients. American Psychological Association.

Sue, D. W. (2016). Race talk and the conspiracy of silence: Understanding and facilitating difficult dialogues on race. John Wiley & Sons.

Online Resources:

Guidelines for Discussing Difficult or High Stakes Topics by University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
Let’s Talk: Discussing Race, Racism, and Other Difficult Topics with Students by Learning for Justice
Rethinking Schools
Teach Palestine: A project of the Middle East Children’s Alliance
Teaching about Race and Racism in College Classrooms by Cyndi Kernahan
Visualizing Palestine 101: A Visual Resource and Educational Hub
Zinn Education Project

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Email: liberationlab.uiuc@gmail.com | Instagram & X: @liberationlab_

EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Editing: Helen Neville

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

bit.ly/LibNowE14

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In this episode, Salman Safir and Helen Neville speak with internationally recognized psychology and mental health scholar Dr. Joseph Gone. We cover topics related to decolonizing and Indigenous research methodologies and reclaiming American Indian therapeutic traditions. In this conversation, Dr. Gone outlines attributes of traditional knowledge, disrupts ideas about psychological mindset, discusses how some forms of counseling is ideological work, and complicates our understanding of collaborative partnerships.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Joseph P. Gone (website) is an international expert in the psychology and mental health of American Indians and other Indigenous peoples. A professor at Harvard University, Dr. Gone has collaborated with tribal communities for over 25 years to critique conventional mental health services and harness traditional culture and spirituality for advancing Indigenous well-being. He has published over 100 scientific articles and chapters, and received recognition in his fields through several fellowships and career awards, including a year-long residency at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. A graduate of Harvard College and the University of Illinois, Dr. Gone also trained at Dartmouth College and McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He is currently a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and of seven divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA). An enrolled member of the Aaniiih-Gros Ventre Tribal Nation of Montana, he also served briefly as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Fort Belknap Indian reservation. In 2014, Gone was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2021 he received the APA Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

DR. JOSEPH GONE - SELECTED SCHOLARSHIP

Articles Mentioned in this Podcast:

Gone, J. P. (2021). Decolonization as methodological innovation in counseling psychology: Method, power, and processin reclaiming American Indian therapeutic traditions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(3), 259-270.

Gone, J. P. (2019). Considering Indigenous research methodologies: Critical reflections by an Indigenous knower. Qualitative Inquiry, 25(1), 45-56.

Video referred to in article:

Citation: Gone, J. P. (2014, October). Considering Indigenous research methodologies: Critical reflections by anIndigenous knower. Invited keynote address for the 2014 Meeting of the American Indigenous Research Association, Salish Kootenai College, Pablo, MT.

Link to Video

Additional Articles:

Gone, J. P. (2022). Indigenous research methodologies: X-marks in the age of community accountability and protection. Qualitative Inquiry, 28(2), 164-170.

Gone, J. P. (2022). Re-imagining mental health services for American Indian communities: Centering Indigenousperspectives. American Journal of Community, 69(3-4), 257-268.

Gone, J. P. (2022). Four principles for cultivating Alternate Cultural Paradigms in psychology: Summary reflections oninnovative contributions. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 62(4), 614-623.

Gone, J. P. (2021). Recounting coup as the recirculation of Indigenous vitality: A narrative alternative to historicaltrauma. Transcultural Psychiatry. Advance online publication.

Gone, J. P. (2021). The (post)colonial predicament in community mental health services for American Indians: Explorations in alter-Native psy-ence. American Psychologist, 76(9), 1514-1525.

Gone, J. P. (2019). “The thing happened as he wished”: Recovering an American Indian cultural psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 64(1-2), 172-184.

Gone, J. P. (2017).“It felt like violence”: Indigenous knowledge traditions and the postcolonial ethics of academicinquiry and community engagement. American Journal of Community Psychology, 60(3-4), 353-360.

Gone, J. P. (2016). Alternative knowledges and the future of community psychology: Provocations from an American Indian healing tradition. American Journal of Community Psychology, 58(3-4), 314-321.

“Looking ahead, informed by where he’s been.” Interview with Dr. Gone, published in The Harvard Gazette in 2019.

Videos:

Gone, J. P. (2021, June). Challenges to evidence-based practice in Indigenous community mental health. Invitedvirtual workshop presentation, Summer Institute in Indigenous Mental Health Research, Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC.

Link to Video

Gone, J. P. (2021, February). The Urban American Indian Traditional Spirituality Program: Community engagement andcultural adaptation in Indigenous health. Invited virtual presentation, Proseminar in Social Medicine, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Link to Video

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EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro/Outro: Salman Safir

Episode Editing: Helen Neville and Salman Safir

Episode Transcript: bit.ly/LibNowE13

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In this episode, Helen Neville speaks with Iranian American scholar-activists Dr. Mehrgol Tiv and Amir Maghsoodi about the current uprisings in Iran. We cover the nationwide protests and state responses since the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini on September 22, 2022. The guests provide context for the roots of the women-led liberation struggle, and the goals and hopes for Iran and her people.

This episode was recorded on Nov 29, 2022. Since then, the Islamic Republic government has executed two young men for taking part in protests: Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard. As of late-December, Amnesty International and others fear more individuals are at imminent risk of execution by the government.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Dr. Mehrgol Tiv, PhD (website) (Twitter: @mehrgoltiv) earned her PhD in experimental psychology at McGill University in 2021, where she examined how diverse linguistic experiences related to cognitive processes. Now as a postdoctoral researcher, she further probes the social determinants of cognitive adaptation by assessing the psychological impacts of context diversity and racial identity formation, including among Middle Eastern and North African communities. Mehrgol was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to the United States at the age of six with her family. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Washington D.C. with her partner and cat.

Amir Maghsoodi, MS (website) (Twitter and IG: @soori_breeze) is a doctoral candidate in his fifth year in the Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His interests in psychology center on health and well-being, sense of belonging, and radical healing & liberation of BIPOC folx, with a particular focus on those of MENA/SWANA descent. His mixed-methods dissertation research explores the psychological impacts of racial identity invalidation on MENA Americans (e.g., our legal classification as “white” in the U.S.). He enjoys service to the community and currently serves on the advocacy committee of the American Arab, Middle Eastern, & North African Psychological Association (AMENA-Psy) and on Dr. Kevin Cokley’s Division 45 Presidential Task Force on Cross-Racial/Ethnic Solidarity.

RESOURCES

News and Editorials

BBC reporting of first known execution of Iranian protestors
CNN coverage of human rights abuses in political prisons
Hamed Esmaeilion memoir in Toronto Life magazine
Association of Families of PS752 Victims
CBC Interview with dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi the day before his kidnapping by Islamic Republic police forces
Washington Post documents Islamic Republic’s tactics of repression
Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) Daily Update on Iran Protest

Videos

VICE documentary, part 1
VICE documentary, part 2

Protest Songs

Baraye (“For”) by Shervin Hajipour (turn on English subtitles)
Amir Maghsoodi’s cover of Baraye
Soroode Zan (“Women’s Anthem”) by Mehdi Yarrahi and Mona Borzouie (Translated lyrics)
YouTube page of dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi, who was kidnapped, tortured, and faces execution in Iran
Farsi rendition of Italian protest song, Bella Ciao, played in many global protests and rallies

Relevant Social Media Accounts (mostly Twitter) to Follow

Twitter

https://twitter.com/1500tasvir_en
https://twitter.com/Vahid
https://twitter.com/BlackIranians
https://twitter.com/PriscilliaK
https://twitter.com/sinafazelpour
https://twitter.com/NazaninNour
https://twitter.com/maasalan
https://twitter.com/esmaeilion
https://twitter.com/ps752justice
https://twitter.com/me_too_iran
https://twitter.com/MEMOrganization
https://twitter.com/HRANA_English

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/1500tasvir_en/
https://www.instagram.com/collectiveforblackiranians/
https://www.instagram.com/from____iran/
https://www.instagram.com/centerforhumanrights/
https://www.instagram.com/middleeastmatters/
https://www.instagram.com/localbrownbaby/
https://www.instagram.com/womanlifefreedom.art/

Academic Statements and Correspondences

AMENA-Psy statement of solidarity with the people of Iran
SPSSI statement of solidarity with the people of Iran
Psychology Coalition at the UN (PCUN) letter to Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) of the UN
American Psychological Association's letter to UN High Commissioner of Human Rights
American Psychiatric Association's letter to the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights
Correspondence to Nature by Iranian scholars calling for support of persecuted academic

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EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams

Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Intro: Mahogany Monette

Episode Outro: B. Andi Lee

Episode Editing: Helen Neville and Amir Maghsoodi

Episode Transcript: bit.ly/LibNowEp12

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In this episode, Liberation Lab members B. Andi Lee, Briana Williams, and Helen Neville speak with creator and healer Dr. Della Mosley (a.k.a., Dr. Della) about her first-authored paper entitled “Radical hope in revolting times.” Dr. Della discusses the practice of radical hope in her personal life and community work. Listen in to learn about the psychological framework of radical hope and how to apply it to daily life.

ABOUT DR. DELLA MOSLEY

Dr. Della intentionally uses her education and training in counseling, skills and experience conducting culturally mindful and award-winning research, history counseling Black youth and queer and transgender People of Color, experience organizing and doing movement work under a Black queer feminist framework, lessons learned in community with her squad of incredible mentors and mentees, history as an educator, and life as a Black queer woman to promote wellness and survival for people who are systematically excluded from it. She is the President of the non-profit The WELLS Healing Center (formerly the University of Florida based WELLS Healing and Research Collective). She co-founded Academics for Black Survival and Wellness (#Academics4BlackLives) with Pearis Bellamy and the Radical Healing Collaborative Group Practice with David Young Oh. She is a proud member of the Psychology of Radical Healing Collective, and an American Psychological Association (APA) Minority Fellow. She also recently gave a TEDx talk entitled “Moving from ‘Woke’ to Working for Black Futures.”

SELECTED ARTICLES

Mosley, D. V., Hargons, C. N., Meiller, C., Angyal, B., Wheeler, P., Davis, C., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2021). Critical consciousness of anti-Black racism: A practical model to prevent and resist racial trauma. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000430
Mosley, D. V., McNeil-Young, V., Bridges, B., Adam, S., Colson, A., Crowley, M., & Lee, L. (2021). Toward radical healing: A qualitative metasynthesis exploring oppression and liberation among Black queer people. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 8(3), 292–313. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000522
Neville, H. A., Ruedas-Gracia, N., Lee, B. A., Ogunfemi, N., Maghsoodi, A. H., Mosley, D. V., LaFromboise, T. D., & Fine, M. (2021). The public psychology for liberation training model: A call to transform the discipline. American Psychologist, 76(8), 1248–1265. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000887
French, B. H., Lewis, J. A., Mosley, D., Adames, H. Y., Chavez- Dueñas, N. Y., Chen, G. A., & Neville, H. A. (2020). Toward a psychological framework of radical healing in communities of color. Counseling Psychologist, 48, 14-46. doi: 10.1177/0011000019843506
Mosley, D., Neville, H. A., Chavez- Dueñas, N. Y., Adames, H. Y., Lewis, J. A., & French, B. H. (2020). Radical hope in revolting times: Proposing a culturally relevant psychological framework. Social and Personality Compass, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12512
Hargons, C., Mosley, D., Falconer, J., Faloughi, R., Singh, A., Stevens-Watkins, D., & Cokley, K. (2017). Black lives matter: A call to action for counseling psychology leaders. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(6), 873-901. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017733048

SELECTED RESOURCES

Moving from “Woke” to Working for Black Futures, TEDx
Radical Healing-Durham
Psychology of Radical Healing: Healing Through Social Justice

WHERE TO FIND DR. DELLA

https://www.dellavmosley.com

Twitter: @dellavmosley

Instagram: @dvmosley

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EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams
Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi
Episode Intro/Outro: Briana Williams
Episode Editing/Production: B. Andi Lee, Briana Williams, & Helen Neville

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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In this episode, Cherese Waight and Helen Neville speak with award winning psychologists Dr. Candice Hargons and Dr. Nikki Coleman about practicing therapy and professional work from an anti-oppressive and anti-racist lens. They share stories about their training and practice, and they talk about what it means to be authentic in and outside of the therapy room. Learn more about specific ways mental health settings and the field of counseling psychology can decolonize their training efforts.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Dr. Candice Nicole Hargons is an award-winning associate professor of counseling psychology at the University of Kentucky, where she studies sexual wellness and healing racial trauma – all with a love ethic. Dr. Hargons is the creator of the Ally + Accomplice Meditation for Cultivating an Anti-Racist Mindset and the Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma, which has been featured in the Huffington Post and Blavity and used by universities and private practices across the US. She has been quoted or featured in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Women's Health, and other media. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Psychological Association and is a Fellow of the Society of Counseling Psychology. Additionally, Dr. Hargons is the founder of the Center for Healing Racial Trauma.

You can follow Dr. Candice Nicole on IG @dr.candicenicole and learn more at www.drcandicenicole.com.

Dr. Nikki Coleman is a PsyPact credentialed licensed psychologist and Sex Self Confidence Coach. Her expertise includes a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant and trainer, writer, podcaster, public speaker, and therapist. She received her Ph. D. in Counseling Psychology from the APA-accredited top-ranked program at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2002. For over 15 years she was a professor of Counseling Psychology with over 7 years as a tenured professor. During that time, she published peer-reviewed articles on identity and cultural factors impacting young Black adults. Her business Dr. Nikki Knows is a practice that focuses on the relational and sexual wellness of Black folx and racial equity consultation and training for small to mid-size organizations. Dr. Nikki’s mantra is: “Pleasure is my birthright” and she works to imbue that to her clients.

You can follow Dr. Nikki on IG and Twitter @DrNikkiKnows and learn more at www.DrNikkiKnows.com and https://linktr.ee/drnikkiknows.

GUESTS SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Dr. Candice Hargons Select Publications

Hargons, C. N., Malone, N., Montique, C., Dogan, J., Stuck, J., Meiller, C., Sanchez, A., Sullivan, Q.-A., Bohmer, C., Curvey, R., Woods, I., Jr., Tyler, K., Oluokun, J., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2022). “White people stress me out all the time”: Black students define racial trauma.Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(1), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000351
Hargons, C. (2022). Mindfulness and matter: The Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma. In Beyond White Mindfulness(pp. 98-109). Routledge.
Hargons, C., Malone, N. J., Montique, C. S., Dogan, J., Stuck, J., Meiller, C., ... & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2021). Race-based stress reactions and recovery: Pilot testing a racial trauma meditation. Journal of Black Psychology, 00957984211034281.
Hargons, C. N., Dogan, J., Malone, N., Thorpe, S., Mosley, D. V., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2021). Balancing the sexology scales: A content analysis of Black women’s sexuality research. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 23(9), 1287-1301.
Mosley, D. V., Hargons, C. N., Meiller, C., Angyal, B., Wheeler, P., Davis, C., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2021). Critical consciousness of anti-Black racism: A practical model to prevent and resist racial trauma.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000430
Hargons, C. N., Mosley, D. V., Meiller, C., Stuck, J., Kirkpatrick, B., Adams, C., & Angyal, B. (2018). “It feels so good”: Pleasure in last sexual encounter narratives of black university students. Journal of Black Psychology, 44(2), 103-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798417749400
Hargons, C., Mosley, D. V., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2017). Studying sex: A content analysis of sexuality research in counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(4), 528-546. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017713756
Hargons, C., Mosley, D., Falconer, J., Faloughi, R., Singh, A., Stevens-Watkins, D., & Cokley, K. (2017). Black lives matter: A call to action for counseling psychology leaders. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(6), 873-901. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017733048

Dr. Nikki Coleman Select Publications

Paquin, J. D., & Coleman, M. N. (2021). Introduction to the special issue on women and group work. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.2020.1798667
Raque, T. L., Mitchell, A. M., Coleman, M. N., Coleman, J. J., & Owen, J. (2021). Addressing racial equity in health psychology research: An application of the multicultural orientation framework.American Psychologist, 76(8), 1266–1279. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000888
Coleman, M. N., Reynolds, A. A., & Torbati, A. (2020). The relation of Black-oriented reality television consumption and perceived realism to the endorsement of stereotypes of Black women.Psychology of Popular Media, 9(2), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000223
Coleman, M. N., Butler, E. O., Long, A. M., & Fisher, F. D. (2016). In and out of love with hip-hop: Saliency of sexual scripts for young adult African American women in hip-hop and Black-oriented television. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 18(10), 1165-1179. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2016.1175029
Coleman, M. N., Chapman, S., & Wang, D. C. (2013). An examination of color-blind racism and race-related stress among African American undergraduate students. Journal of Black Psychology, 39(5), 486-504. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798412469226
Coleman, M. N. (2006). Critical incidents in multicultural training: An examination of student experiences. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 34(3), 168-182. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2006.tb00036.x

CULTURALLY INFORMED THERAPY RESOURCES

Sista Afya
BIPOC Mental Health Resources
Directory for Therapy for Black Girls
HealHaus
INNOPSYCH
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
National Alliance on Mental Health/ Identity and Cultural Dimensions
Therapy for Black Men

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EPISODE CREDITS

Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams
Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi
Episode Intro/Outro: Mahogany Monette
Episode Editing: Cherese Waight and Helen Neville

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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This episode is the second in a two-part series on cumulative racial-ethnic trauma and healing for MENA Americans. In this episode, Amir Maghsoodi sits down again with pioneering Arab/MENA psychologists Drs. Mona Amer, Maryam Kia-Keating, and Germine “Gigi” Awad, to discuss their paper in the American Psychologist titled “A model of cumulative racial-ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent.” They discuss how the authors’ model relates to healing and liberation for MENA Americans and other BIPOC groups. As three of the founding members of AMENA-Psy (American Arab, Middle Eastern & North African Psychological Association), our guests also discuss the formation of the organization and how it relates to the struggle for liberation.

Link to download the paper for free: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2019-01033-007.html

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Germine “Gigi” Awad, Ph.D., (website) (Twitter: @Dr_GigiAwad) is an Associate Professor in the College of Education Department of Educational Psychology and a Louise Spence Griffeth Fellow. Her scholarship is characterized by three interrelated areas of inquiry: prejudice and discrimination, identity and acculturation, and more recently, body image among women of color. She has also written in the area of multicultural research methodology. The majority of her research is guided by the questions "What factors lead to discrimination against ethnic minorities?" and "What impacts perceptions of experienced discrimination?"

The two populations that she has primarily focused on are Arab/Middle Eastern Americans and African Americans. Although overt discrimination towards ethnic minorities has decreased over the years, the practice of more covert, subtle forms of prejudice remains. The events of September 11, 2001, however, reintroduced more explicit forms of prejudice towards Arab/Middle Eastern Americans, and those perceived to be Muslim, complicating the dialogue on discrimination in the United States. Awad is concerned with how prejudicial attitudes and ideology impact attitudes towards ethnic minorities generally and within specific domains such as the workplace and higher education. In addition, she examines how racial/ethnic identity and acculturation impact ethnic minorities' perception of discrimination. Most recently, she has expanded her identity and acculturation research to the study of body image concerns among women of color.

Awad received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and B.S. in Psychology from John Carroll University.

Maryam Kia-Keating, Ph.D., (website) (Twitter: @drkiakeating) is a Professor of Clinical Psychology in the UCSB Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, and founder of Power of Drishti, providing meditations and music for changemakers, first responders, clinicians, frontline workers, activists, and other people on-the-go. She oversees the Trauma & Adversity, Resilience & Prevention (TARP) research program at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. After attending Dartmouth College, Harvard University, and Boston University, Dr. Kia-Keating completed her post-doctoral work at the University of California, San Diego, and served as the Clinical Director of a secondary prevention school-based program for adolescents. Dr. Kia-Keating's scholarship is focused on resilience in the context of experiences of trauma, adversity, and toxic stress for diverse communities, including refugees and immigrants from around the globe. She uses participatory and human-centered design approaches, working in partnership with communities to find innovative solutions to complex needs. Her community co-designed HEROES program for parents and children teaches mindfulness, parent-child attunement, and restorative communication to support resilience, and mitigate the negative impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). She was appointed to the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on refugees resettled in the United States. Dr. Kia-Keating’s research has been funded by the NIH, and her articles have been published in high-impact academic journals. Her research and interviews have been featured in various outlets including The Washington Post, ABC News, Conde Nast Traveler, Self-Magazine, and CNN. She provides consultation on child development, mental health, and authentic representation for childrens' media, and writes for Psychology Today.

Mona M. Amer, Ph.D., (website) is a Professor of clinical and community psychology and founding chair of the Department of Psychology at the American University in Cairo. She co-founded and served as first elected president of the American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African Psychological Association (AMENA-Psy). Dr. Amer’s research and policy interests focus on racial/ethnic disparities in behavioral health, with specializations in the Arab and Muslim minorities. She is interested in how immigration experiences, acculturation stressors, discrimination, and minority status contribute to disparities, and ways to eliminate inequities through culturally competent services, community-based programming, and social policy. Dr. Amer’s nearly 50 publications include two articles in the American Psychological Association’s flagship journal American Psychologist and the landmark co-edited book Handbook of Arab American Psychology which was awarded the annual nonfiction award by the Arab American National Museum. In 2020 she received the AMENA-Psy Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychological Scholarship.

GUESTS’ SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Dr. Awad Select Publications:

Arab American Psychology

Amer, M. & Awad, G. H. (Eds.) (2016) The Handbook of Arab American Psychology. New York: Routledge.

Awad, G. H., Amayreh, W. & Reilly, E. D. (2017) Contemporary Arab American Psychology. In Social Issues In Living Color: Challenges And Solutions From The Perspective Of Ethnic Minority Psychology. Blume, A. (Ed.): Praeger Books.

Prejudice & Discrimination

Awad, G. H. & Amayreh, W. (2016). Discrimination: Heightened Prejudice Post 9/11 and Psychological Outcomes. In M. M. Amer, & G. H. Awad (Eds.), Handbook of Arab American psychology. New York: Routledge.

Neville, H. A., Awad, G. H., Brooks, J., Flores, M., & Bluemel, J. (2013). Color-Blind Racial Ideology: Theory, Training, and Measurement Implications in Psychology. The American Psychologist*, 68(6), 455-466.

Awad, G. H. (2013). Does Policy Name Matter? The Effect of Framing on the Evaluations of African American Applicants. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 379-387. doi: 10.1111/jasp.12026

Brown, L. M., Awad, G. H., Preas, E. J., Allen, V., Kenney, J., Roberts, S.Lusk, B. L. (2013). Investigating Prejudice towards Men Perceived to be Muslim: Cues of Foreignness versus Phenotype. Journal of Applied Social Psychology*, 43, 237-245. doi: 10.1111/jasp.12015

Awad, G. H. & Hall-Clark, B. (2009). Impact of Religiosity and Right Wing Authoritarianism on Prejudice towards Middle Easterners. Beliefs and Values: Understanding the Global Implications of Human Nature*, 1(2), 183-192.

Awad, G. H., Cokley, K., & Ravitch, J. (2005). Attitudes toward affirmative action: A comparison of color-blind versus modern racist attitudes. Journal Of Applied Social Psychology*, 35(7), 1384-1399. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2005.tb02175.x

Identity & Acculturation

Awad, G. H. (2010). The impact of acculturation and religious identification on perceived discrimination for Arab/Middle Eastern Americans. Cultural Diversity And Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16(1), 59-67. doi:10.1037/a0016675

Awad, G. H. (2007). The role of racial identity, academic self-concept, and self-esteem in the prediction of academic outcomes for African American students. Journal Of Black Psychology, 33(2), 188-207. doi:10.1177/0095798407299513

Multicultural Research Methodology

Awad, G. H., Patall, E. A., Rackley, K. R. & Reilly, E. D. (2016). Recommendations for Culturally Sensitive Research Methods. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 26, (3). DOI: 10.1080/10474412.2015.1046600

Cokley, K. O & Awad, G. H. (2013). In Defense of Quantitative Methods: Using the “Master’s Tools” to Promote Social Justice. Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 5(2), 26-41.

Awad, G. H., & Cokley, K. O. (2010). Designing and interpreting quantitative research in multicultural counseling. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (3rd ed.) (pp. 385-396). Thousand Oaks, CA US: Sage Publications, Inc.

Cokley, K. O., & Awad, G. H. (2008). Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Multicultural Research. In Heppner, P. P., Kivlighan, D. M., & Wampold, B. E. (Eds.). Research Design in Counseling (3rd Ed.) (pp. 366-384). California: Wadsworth.

Body Image

Awad, G. H., Norwood, C.R., Taylor, D., Martinez, M., McClain, S., Jones, B., Holman, A., & Chapman-Hilliard, C. (2015). Beauty and Body Image Concerns Among African American College Women. Journal of Black Psychology, 41, 540-564. DOI: 10.1177/0095798414550864

Mintz, L. B., Awad, G. H., Stinson, R. D., Bledman, R. A., Coker, A. D.,Kashubeck-West, S., & Connelly, K. (2013). Weighing and body monitoring among college women: The scale number as an emotional barometer. Journal Of College Student Psychotherapy*, 27(1), 78-91.doi:10.1080/87568225.2013.739039

Kashubeck-West, S., Coker, A. D., Awad, G. H., Stinson, R. D., Bledman, R., & Mintz, L. (2013). Do measures commonly used in body image research perform adequately with African American college women?. Cultural Diversity And Ethnic Minority Psychology, 19(3), 357-368. doi:10.1037/a0031905

Mental Health

Amer, M. M., Awad, G. H., & Hovey, J. D. (2014). Evaluation of the CES-D Scale factor structure in a sample of second-generation Arab-Americans. InternationalJournal Of Culture And Mental Health, 7(1), 46-58. doi:10.1080/17542863.2012.693514

Awad, G. H., Martinez, M. S. & Amer, M.M. (2013). Considerations for Psychotherapy with Immigrant Women of Middle Eastern/Arab Descent. Women and Therapy*, 36, 163-175.

Dr. Kia-Keating Select Publications:

Kia-Keating, M., & Juang, L. (2022). Participatory science as a decolonizing methodology: Leveraging collective knowledge from partnerships with refugee and immigrant communities. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000514

Suarez-Balcazar, Y., Kia-Keating, M., & Jackson, T. (2021). Navigating participation and ethics with immigrant communities. Qualitative Psychology. doi: 10.1037/qup0000216

Awad, G., Ikizler, A., Abdel-Salem, L., Kia-Keating, M., Amini, B., & El-Ghoroury, N. (2021). Foundations for an Arab/MENA psychology. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1-23. doi: 10.1177/00221678211060974

Awad, G., Kia-Keating, M., & Amer, M. (2019). A model of cumulative racial/ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent. American Psychologist, 74 (1), 76-87. doi: 10.1037/amp0000344

Kia-Keating, M., Liu, S., & Sims, G. (2018). Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Refugee youth in resettlement. Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. doi: 10.1002/9781118900772.etrds0460

Modir, S., & Kia-Keating, M. (2018). Exploring the Middle Eastern American college student experience: Discrimination, adjustment, and coping. Journal of College Student Development, 59, 563-578. doi: 10.1353/csd.2018.0053

Kia-Keating, M., Ahmed, S.R., & Modir, S. (2016). Refugees and Forced Migrants: Seeking Asylum and Acceptance. In Amer, M., & Abdo., G. (Eds.), Handbook of Arab American Psychology (pp 160-172). Routledge. New York.

Kia-Keating, M. (2012). Ethical issues in research with refugee communities. In U. A. Segal & D. Elliott (Eds.), Refugees Worldwide. Volume 4: Law, Policy, and Programs, (pp. 235-257). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Ahmed, S. R., Kia-Keating, M., & Tsai, K. H. (2011). A structural model of racial discrimination, acculturative stress, and cultural resources among Arab American adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 48, 181-192.

Porterfield, K. (chair), Akinsulure-Smith, A., Benson, M., Betancourt, T., Ellis, H., Kia-Keating, M., & Miller, K. (2010). Resilience and recovery after war: Refugee children and families in the United States. Report of the APA Task Force on the Psychosocial Effects of War on Children and Families who are Refugees from Armed Conflict Residing in the United States. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Dr. Amer Select Publications:

Amer, M. M. (2021). Measures of Muslim religiousness constructs and a multidimensional scale. In A. L. Ai, P. Wink, R. F. Paloutzian, & K. A. Harris (Eds.). Assessing spirituality in a diverse world (pp. 299-331). Switzerland: Springer.

Awad, G. H., Kia-Keating, M., & Amer, M. M. (2019). A model of cumulative racial/ ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent. American Psychologist, 74, 76-87.

Ahmed, S. R., Amer, M. M., & Killawi, A. (2017). The ecosystems perspective in social work: Implications for culturally competent practice with American Muslims. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 36(1-2), 48-72.

Amer, M. M., & Awad, G. H. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of Arab American psychology. New York: Routledge.

Amer, M. M. (2014). Arab American acculturation and ethnic identity across the lifespan: Sociodemographic correlates and psychological outcomes. In S. C. Nassar-McMillan, K. J. Ajrouch, & J. Hakim-Larson (Eds.), Biopsychosocial perspectives on Arab Americans: Culture, development, and health (pp. 153-173). New York: Springer.

Amer, M. M. & Bagasra, A. (2013). Psychological research with Muslim Americans in the age of Islamophobia: Trends, challenges, and recommendations. American Psychologist, 68(3), 134-144.

Ahmed, S., & Amer, M. M. (Eds.). (2012). Counseling Muslims: Handbook of mental health issues and interventions. New York: Routledge.

Amer, M. M., & Hovey, J. D. (2012). Anxiety and depression in a post-September 11 sample of Arabs in the USA. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(3), 409-418.

American Arab, Middle Eastern, & North African Psychological Association (AMENA-Psy): https://www.amenapsy.org/

Link to The Thoughtful Counselor podcast interview with Dr. Awad: https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/thethoughtfulcounselor/id/21035411

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EPISODE CREDITS
Music: Amir Maghsoodi and Briana Williams
Podcast Artwork: B. Andi Lee & Amir Maghsoodi
Episode intro/outro: Mahogany Monette
Episode Editing: Amir Maghsoodi
Episode Transcript: bit.ly/LibNowE9

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In this episode, Amir Maghsoodi speaks with pioneering Arab/MENA psychologists Drs. Mona Amer, Maryam Kia-Keating, and Germine “Gigi” Awad, about their paper in the American Psychologist titled “A model of cumulative racial-ethnic trauma among Americans of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent.” They discuss the creation of the model and provide details about its various components, contextualizing them with present-day examples. The authors also share their motivations and process for writing this paper as well as their hopes for what readers take away from reading it. Listen in to learn about cumulative racial-ethnic trauma for MENA Americans, and tune back in next week to hear the authors discuss the model’s implications for healing and liberation. Link to download the paper: https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2019-01033-007.html ABOUT THE GUESTS Germine “Gigi” Awad, Ph.D., (website) (Twitter: @Dr_GigiAwad) is an Associate Professor in the College of Education Department of Educational Psychology and a Louise Spence Griffeth Fellow. Her scholarship is characterized by three interrelated areas of inquiry: prejudice and discrimination, identity and acculturation, and more recently, body image among women of color. She has also written in the area of multicultural research methodology. The majority of her research is guided by the questions "What factors lead to discrimination against ethnic minorities?" and "What impacts perceptions of experienced discrimination?"