Social Justice and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Our Psychology Internship Training Program is housed in the Tulane School of Medicine and we stand in agreement with the equity, diversity and inclusion statement made by our institution.

The Tulane Psychology Training Program acknowledges the pain, outrage, anguish, and fear so many are feeling, and unequivocally condemns racist acts as well as the structural racism that allows these, and other violence against people of color, to persist. We also reject sexism, gender and gender identity bias, and all other forms of intolerance.

We stand in solidarity with the African American community and all communities of color and other marginalized communities in striving for equity, justice, and anti-racism. We also know easing human suffering cannot coexist with racism. We are a community that values each other, values caring for the vulnerable, and values equity and inclusion and the unique perspectives and experiences we all bring to our community.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: 

The Tulane Psychology Training Program will foster the development of knowledge, skills, and professional practices in faculty, staff, trainees and students that:

1. Adhere to the ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct;
2. Acknowledge the disparities that exist in the ability of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) to access high quality mental health care; the history of exploitative research using communities of color; and the traumatic impacts of systemic and structural racism, sexism, homophobia, and associated oppression; 
3. Are committed to sustainable change, particularly for communities with a history of inequitable health care, inequitable political representation and inaccurate overrepresentation in some mental health diagnoses;
4. Enhance critical thinking and the generation, evaluation, and application of research findings with an intentional focus on equitable representation of populations within research endeavors;
5. Encourage the use of prevention strategies and evidence-based treatment modalities that are attuned to the unique needs and inherent strengths of diverse individuals, families, and community systems;
6. Emphasize effective culturally-responsive approaches to individual and community challenges including trauma, disasters, and health disparities;
7. Foster collaborative interdisciplinary approaches in direct care and the interface of systems;
8. Promote clinical, academic and/or administrative leadership development among staff, trainees, and faculty members from underrepresented and marginalized groups.

The Tulane Psychology Training Program strives to foster a learning environment in which trainees, staff and faculty can learn and grow in conversation and collaboration with each other. We aim to integrate discussions about social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) in every aspect of our program, including clinical care, supervision, didactics, and research. In addition, a number of initiatives have been implemented that trainees, staff and faculty participate in to address JEDI issues within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Tulane. These include: 

Faculty Diversity Committee – Open to interested faculty members Department-wide (ongoing, meets monthly)

Diversity Informed Tenets for Work with Infants, Children & Families discussions –open to all faculty, staff, and trainees, Department-wide (held on four Fridays in the summer),

Multiculturalism Class for Trainees – mandatory for all psychology and child psychiatry trainees (meets Fridays from September-December facilitated by child section faculty)

Social Justice Action Groups – Open to any interested faculty, staff or trainee; facilitated by faculty members, most of whom are members of the Diversity Committee. The listing includes:

• Book Club meets every other month
• Film Club meets every other month
• Advocacy, Consumerism and Community Engagement (ACCE) group, which is responsible for the monthly EDI newsletter
• Disability Advocacy and Action Group
• Books, films and topics of discussion are generated by the members of those groups

EDI Steering Committee – Tasked with the goal of developing a five-year strategic plan, which includes supporting the provision of culturally-humble clinical services, generating research with an intentional focus on issues of diversity, enhancing culturally-sensitive interactions among faculty, staff and trainees, and creating a culturally-attuned environment that is welcoming and affirming of individuals with different intersecting identities.  Four subcommittees were created:

• The Recruitment and Retention subcommittee is tasked with developing best practice strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse work force at faculty, trainee and staff levels and is in the process of developing a document, based on existing resources provided through Tulane’s Office of Faculty Affairs, that aims to outline the steps for recruiting faculty using an equity lens. The committee has also worked with the training directors and administration to discuss how best to attract and retain individuals from diverse backgrounds as trainees and staff.
• The Curriculum and Training subcommittee aims to assist faculty in infusing EDI concepts into their teaching, training and supervision. The committee has provided training and resources to faculty and offers twice monthly office hours for faculty to discuss questions and concerns and receive support in incorporating EDI concepts into their teaching and supervision. In addition, the subcommittee has implemented a process whereby trainees are invited to provide anonymous feedback on didactic and Grand Rounds presentations to assist us in intentionally infusing EDI concepts into our training activities.
• The Community Engagement subcommittee works to develop and sustain community partners that share our goals and complement our resources. Tasks also include determining how to identify opportunities for faculty and trainee involvement in community activities.
• The Personal Growth subcommittee is tasked with identifying resources for continuous learning about history, especially as it relates to historical trauma, about racism and anti-racism, and multicultural dimensions of development, parenting and constructions of health and illness.

The Steering Committee and all subcommittees are comprised of faculty, staff and trainees to ensure that all members of our department are represented and have a voice in the discussion as well as agency and involvement in decisions that are made.

Opportunities for involvement are regularly updated via a newsletter. The latest issue can be accessed here.