On addressing ‘Whiteness’ during clinical psychology training

Abstract

This abbreviated extract is from a paper on Whiteness in clinical psychology training1. It highlights some of the themes from this paper, related to the issues of representation and addressing racism within clinical psychology training.

Understanding inequality: The experiences and perceptions of equality, diversity, and inclusion of those working or studying within sport and exercise psychology

“…The findings of the current study echo the worrying findings of Goldman and Gervis (2021) and are in line with other studies exploring attitudes and experiences of those in other related fields, such as clinical psychology (Daiches, 2010;Turpin & Coleman, 2010;Williams et al, 2006;Wood & Patel, 2017) and medicine (Atwal et al, 2021;Coe, Wiley & Bekker, 2019;Manik & Sadigh, 2021).…”

“…Many academics, clinicians and psychologists are calling for a 'cultural awakening' in relation to the experiences of those in minority groups; moving away from seeing minority groups as 'hard to reach', and instead use evidence-based approaches to learn from the experiences of affected individuals and create measurable, actionable steps toward change (Atwal et al, 2021;Coe, Wiley & Bekker, 2019). Literature specifically exploring the experiences of trainee psychologists mirrored the findings of the current study around the concerns of curricula being white/western-centric, with little training considerations or exploration to identities and groups beyond the 'norm' (Wood & Patel, 2017). Although many will seek inclusive and diverse curricula and research that is representative of the different views and backgrounds, it is vital that research moves away from an over-reliance on Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) ideals (Lillas & Marchel, 2015).…”

Identity in context: Reflections on research with refugees

“…Here, discourses on quotas and tokenism were rife, as society attempted to redress the inequality caused by the Apartheid system (Merrett, Tatz and Adair, 2011). Throughout training, I wondered whether I was a token or even belonged, as clinical psychology also attempts to redress its own identity and become inclusive (Turpin and Coleman, 2010;Wood and Patel, 2017).…”

“…I encountered Westernised concepts of human behaviour that did not always resonate with myself or culture. Discussions about this, and 'Whiteness' in psychology are current (see Wood and Patel, 2017;2019). Yet, if this is how I felt, how did 'people of difference' (Prajapati and Liebling, 2021), including refugees, experience the profession and services of clinical psychologists.…”

Editorial: Being nice is not enough

“…Our position has consistently been that we need to get our professional house in order, and we need to look at clinical psychology training and our profession. In response to Dawood and Peart, yes, we think we do need a paradigm shift; whether it's considering embedding intersectional, inter-cultural and/or decolonial approaches (Ngoasheng, 2018;Pillay, 2017), we need to find ways of challenging Whiteness, racism and Eurocentricity within our models and practice (Arday & Mirza, 2018;DiAngelo, 2018;Sue, 2015;Wood & Patel, 2017;Keval and Patel, 2018). This special issue includes brave essays from trainees and would-be trainees, who are to be lauded for their risk-taking attempts to raise awareness of these issues for all of us, within British clinical psychology.…”