Carmela Maxell-Harrison: Public Lecture and Dissertation Defense

Come join us for this public lecture and oral defense of doctoral dissertation by PsyD candidate Carmela Maxell-Harrison!

Title

Involuntary “Whiteness”: The Acculturation of Black Doctoral Female Students in the Field of Clinical Psychology

Abstract

This dissertation is based on a qualitative research project that documents the experiences of Black women matriculating through clinical psychology doctoral programs and the psychological effects of becoming a psychologist in a stigmatized field. Additionally, the historical and collective traumas that are continually experienced by this group and their coping mechanisms are explored and highlighted. More specifically, as extant research has revealed, black women in doctoral programs in general experience a series of responses to racialized and gendered discriminatory practices leading them to withdraw from their programs, or invoke coping mechanisms that may be counterintuitive to their culture and upbringing. Of specific interest is how this is played out in the field of clinical psychology, as there is little to no research looking into the experiences of black women specifically trying to obtain doctorates in this field. Keywords: black women, clinical psychology, doctoral student, intersectionality

Dissertation Committee Members

Bill Heusler, PsyD – Committee Chair

Andy Benjamin, JD, PhD, ABPP

Pat Russell, PsyD