Jessica Henderson Daniel, PhD, ABPP

Jessica Henderson Daniel, PhD, ABPP, Director of Training in Psychology and a member of the department for 30 years, has developed the following instructional and training programs:

• Annual Fishbowl Grand Rounds- Diversity Training through Literature
• Multi-disciplinary Diversity Training for First-Year Interns and Fellows
• Diversity Modules for the Department Training Program
• Diversity Modules for the Psychology Internship Clinical Seminar

2005 novel

Participants place the story in context with current issues relating to race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and social class. Following their discussion, faculty and interns/fellows are invited to join the fishbowl by contributing their comments and asking questions. Attendance has been excellent.

2004 and 2005
The first two years, six faculty members (two each from psychiatry, psychology and social work) provided their perspectives about the stories. The discussion was moderated by a guest psychiatrist.

2006 novel

2007
For the Spring 2007 Fishbowl, a nurse will be a participant in the multidisciplinary panel discussion of a family struggling with bipolar illness.

Fishbowl Novels:

• 2004: The Fall of Rome by Martha Southgate
• 2005: The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter
• 2006: Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
• 2007: 72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell

Diversity training book

All first year interns and fellows participate in a three-session diversity training taught by Dr. Daniel. The goals are to:

• provide general information about diversity training
• promote acknowledgement of the possibility that race/ethnicity might matter in the therapeutic relationship
• have the participants experience talking about race in a diverse group setting

Two sessions involve the discussion of assigned chapters from books that address race and ethnicity. Participants are asked to identify what they have learned and how this might apply to their therapeutic services to children, adolescents and families.

For the first session, the pairs are in the same discipline; for the second session, the pairs are multidisciplinary. One result is that the first year students get to know one another.

The topics include:

• racial identity development theory
• a developmental perspective on talking about race
• racial profiling
• the "model minority"
• affirmative action

• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
• Yellow by Frank Wu

Over the years, Dr. Daniel has presented on a range of topics related to race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion. After a presentation on racial trauma, she invited the attendees to place questions that they wanted to ask about African Americans and therapy. She organized the questions into categories and emailed them to the Department.

In a later training session, she, along with a post-doctoral psychology fellow and a psychology intern, responded to as many questions as they could in two hours. It was a well-attended session. The plan is to repeat this exercise with other marginalized groups and to invite respondents who represent those groups to the follow-up session.

Diversity Modules for the Psychology Internship Program

A goal of the Psychology Internship Program is to make a commitment to always teach sensitivity to cultural diversity in all aspects of the training program.

The clinical seminar curriculum reflects this commitment by addressing the following topics:

• Race - The Power of an Illusion (PBS Series)
• aversive racism
• stereotype threat
• international adoptions
• sexual orientation
• gender issues

• One movie discussion - The film Crash
• One book discussion - The Fall of Rome by Martha Southgate

For more information on our diversity training initiatives, please contact Jessica Henderson Daniel, PhD, ABPP at 617-355-6734 or email her.