Diversity/Multicultural Psychology

Diversity/Multicultural Psychology Emphasis

Students in any Psychology Ph.D. concentration may choose the Diversity/Multicultural Psychology Emphasis (similar to a minor). Students must complete a total of 9 credit hours of graduate course work. Students must take PSY 508-Research with Diverse Populations. In addition, students must take at least one course from Category A (clinical students cannot use PSY 636 Diversity/Multicultural Perspectives in Clinical Psychology as it is a requirement of the clinical concentration).  Students may then choose a course from either Category A or Category B for their 3rd course.

In addition, students pursuing the Diversity/Multicultural Psychology Emphasis will have one of their research projects (either thesis or dissertation) have at least one of the a priori aims or hypotheses incorporate an aspect of furthering our understanding of diversity/multicultural issues in psychology.

Clinical students pursuing the Diversity/Multicultural Psychology Emphasis will be required to demonstrate diversity/multicultural competence by providing clinical services to diverse clientele, obtaining clinical hours in a practicum with a focus on diverse clientele, and receiving supervision through the UNM Cultural Counseling Center (e.g., Diversity Specialty Clinic).

Required Course:  PSY 508 Research with Diverse Populations

Category A:

  • PSY 516--Health Disparities
  • PSY 629--Culture and Human Development
  • PSY 636--Diversity/Multicultural Perspective in Clinical Psychology
  • PSY xxx--Other Psychology courses approved by the Diversity/Multicultural Faculty such as Special Topics courses focused on diversity topics or working with specific populations, e.g. Psychology of Stereotype and Prejudice, Religion/Spirituality.

Category B:

Courses related to Diversity/Multiculturalism provided in other UNM departments, such as the College of Population Health, the Institute for the Study of Race and Social Justice or the Department of Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies (LLSS). Courses in fulfillment of Category B must be approved by the Diversity/Multicultural Faculty to count towards the emphasis. Course syllabi will be reviewed as part of this process.

Diversity/Multicultural Psychology Organizations and Services

In addition to our Diversity/Multicultural Emphasis, we have other Diversity/Multicultural organizations and services for our communities.

  1. Diversity Organization (DO!). The Diversity Organization! (DO!) at the University of New Mexico is the product of students’ visions of a more diverse field. DO!’s mission is to enhance the diversity of psychology and other helping professions in the areas of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, and disability. It also seeks to increase visibility and tolerance of diversity, but most importantly acceptance. Student members, with the support of faculty advisors Steven P. Verney and Kamilla Venner (both underrepresented minoritized researchers themselves), engage in an array of activities consistent with DO!’s mission.
    Past DO! activities include Annual Cultural Potlucks (hosted by a faculty member), workshops for undergraduate students interested in psychology graduate programs, a charity drive for a local non-profit organizations aiding underserved populations, a coffee hour and information session for the doctoral student applicants during our doctoral programs’ open house, and movie nights that showcase diversity and multicultural issues. Activities are determined by graduate student volunteers every year and may differ depending on the leadership.

  2. Cultural Counseling Center (i.e., Diversity Clinic). The Cultural Counseling Center is a specialty training clinic and supervisory group under the UNM Psychology Training Clinic. We offer complete privacy for clients who want their culture or background to be part of counseling. We serve people of diverse backgrounds including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, poverty, religion, spirituality, abilities, and any other underserved or marginalized group. Current supervisors include Drs. Lynette Abrams-Silva, Kamilla Venner, and Steven Verney. For the information about the Psychology Clinic, see https://psych.unm.edu/community/psychology-clinic.html.

  3. Faculty Diversity Committee. The Faculty’s Diversity Committee mission is to promote and sustain a culture that promotes and guarantees fairness, dignity, and respect for our students, staff, faculty, and the broader community.  Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of our values, and we strive to instill these in our trainings, recruitment, retention, mentoring, service and outreach efforts. We are committed to supporting the well-being and success of everyone in our Departmental community.

    The Faculty Diversity Committee is comprised of three subcommittees: 1) Training, 2) Recruitment, Retention and Mentoring, and 3) Outreach and Services. In addition to the faculty members, student representatives may serve on the subcommittee.

  4. Diversity Resources. Our Psychology Diversity Outreach and Services Subcommittee has compiled a folder of various diversity-related articles and resources. Click on the link to for resources on Graduate Student Resources (including funding opportunities), Mentoring, Resources for Specific Groups, Resources for Academia, Teaching, and White Privilege - Cultural Humility - Antibias Training:  https://unmm-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/psych_unm_edu/ErCHp7qRp6NGiv3Km4pj9ZgBG2XKxyrljGVD1mTW3VD-IQ?e=611CcD 

    If you have suggestions for resources to add to the folder, please contact Margo Hurlocker, Ph.D., mhurlocker@unm.edu, or Steven Verney, Ph.D., sverney@unm.edu