Diversity

UE Clinical PSYD Program Diversity Statement

The UE Clinical PsyD program is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion among faculty, students, staff, and the community. We believe that embracing multiculturalism is essential in both professional and personal lives, especially in an increasingly diverse and global society. We view diversity in various ways including but not limited to age, race, ethnicity, nationality, physical and mental ability, socioeconomic status, religion, and language. We believe that to be a program that strives to prepare students to work in a diverse world, we must be inclusive and diverse.

With regard to diversity, we strive to abide by the APA ethics codes that state that:

Principle D: “Psychologists recognize that fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the contributions of psychology and to equal quality in the processes, procedures, and services being conducted by psychologists.”

Principle E: “Psychologists are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status, and consider these factors when working with members of such groups” and “Psychologists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices.”

As a program committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, we strive to:

  1. Create and maintain an inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff.
  2. Attract and retain students and faculty from diverse backgrounds.
  3. Ensure that the curriculum addresses diversity and multiculturalism.
  4. Prepare students to work in a variety of settings with diverse populations.
  5. Create partnerships with organizations in the community that foster DEI.

To accomplish these goals, we are taking the following active steps:

  1. Establishment of a diversity committee: The committee will be comprised of faculty members and a student representative. The roles of the committee include but are not limited to:
    1. Conducting an annual diversity climate survey
    2. Providing resources and recommendations that can enhance inclusive research and teaching.
    3. Developing strategies to help address concerns raised in the annual survey.
    4. Recruitment and retention of a diverse body of students and faculty.
    Current Committee Members:
    1. Dr. Juliet Aura (Chair)
    2. Dr. Kevin Jordan
    3. Dr. Matt Powless
    4. Dr. William Phillips
    5. Student Representative
  2. We strive to build a diverse student body and therefore we encourage students from ALL backgrounds to apply to the UE clinical PsyD program, including non-traditional students.
  3. We understand that each student may be at a different developmental skill level regarding working with diverse populations. We also understand that our students have different rates of skill and competency acquisition and therefore, we therefore strive to reasonably work with our students based on their developmental need.
  4. Topics related to diversity are woven throughout all our courses, not just the Diversity in Clinical Psychology class.
  5. Our clinic draws clients from the community, which allows our students to work with clients from diverse backgrounds (ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, etc.). As a result, our students should expect to be assigned clients from various backgrounds during their practicum.
  6. In supervision, we encourage discussions on how diversity can affect a client’s presenting problems, a client’s perception of the problem, their approach to treatment, as well as the client-clinician interaction.
  7. For further professional development, we invite speakers who are experts in different aspects of diversity to talk to students about diversity beyond the classroom.
  8. We encourage the student body to take part in volunteer opportunities within the community.

Student Welfare

The University of Evansville and the Clinical Psychology program are committed to creating and fostering environments free from harassment and discrimination. We recognize the impact that harassment, discrimination, biases, and microaggressions have on individuals and the community.  All faculty, staff, and administrators in the Clinical Psychology program are considered Responsible Employees, or individuals mandated to report allegations of violations of the University’s Title IX and other Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Policy and the Harassment and Discrimination Policy to the Office of Institutional Equity.

Individuals who would like to report their experiences anonymously may do so through the University’s Bias Incident Report or the Office of Public Safety’s Report a Concern link. They may also report directly to the Office of Institutional Equity at titleIX@evansville.edu or 812-488-5261.

Reports submitted through any of these processes will be addressed through the steps outlined in the Title IX and other Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Policy and the Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Any information shared with the Clinical Psychology program beyond that outlined in the policy, will be limited to aggregate data for accreditation reporting purposes; no identifying information will be shared for this purpose.

Useful Links

Community Resources

Program Events

  • Cultural Diversity Talk by Dr. Cedric Williams- Licensed Clinical and Consulting Psychologist.