Clinical Psychology Program's Diversity Training

Our program is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Training in DEI is viewed as an important, essential component of clinical training. Given that LSU is housed in Baton Rouge, a culturally diverse city (e.g., Baton Rouge is less than 50% non-Hispanic/Latinx White), our students have numerous opportunities to gain didactic and experiential training in issues related to individual and cultural diversity via coursework, research, and clinical experiences. We strive to integrate a focus on DEI into all aspects of training.

Coursework

  • Our faculty strive to integrate training in DEI across all courses. Course syllabi include explicit statements regarding how each course includes training in DEI.
  • PSYC 7040 Sociocultural Basis of Behavior, a course with an explicit focus on didactic instruction on issues of DEI, including working with diverse clients and theories of culturally competent delivery of psychological services. This required course typically taken in the 2nd – 4th year.

Research Experiences

  • Students have many opportunities to gain research experience with diverse samples. In fact, several of our faculty’s research is explicitly focused on race/ethnicity, gender, and/or gender identity. Please see the Clinical Psychology Program’s Diversity Related Research Page for some representative examples of recent research in this area by our faculty and students.
  • Observations and ratings by research advisors assess students’ approaches to working with historically underrepresented groups in the context of research projects.
  • Further, students are expected to explicitly discuss issues of diversity during masters’ thesis and dissertation projects and must adequately attend to these issues in order to pass thesis and dissertation meetings.

Practicum Experiences

  • Students receive experience conducting clinical work with individuals from historically underrepresented groups (including but not limited to diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, socioeconomic status) during practica, during which students’ attitudes and approaches to working with diverse clients are monitored and discussed during supervision meetings.

Additional Training

  • Each year prior to internship, both students and faculty must document at least one hour of training in a DEI related topic that is approved by the Director of Clinical Training.
  • Multiple training opportunities for additional training in DEI topics are offered throughout the year through the clinical area seminar series.  

Committee on Diversity and Outreach in Psychology (CDOP)

  • This department-wide committee’s goals include improving recruitment and retention of diverse students and faculty
  • CDOP members serve as a resource for graduate students and faculty to consult regarding issues concerning diversity
  • There is clinical area faculty and student representation on all CDOP workgroups

 

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