Multicultural Perspective

The Counseling Psychology Program at The University of Akron is committed to a multicultural perspective, broadly defined.

This commitment is evident from our:

• Mission statement and program goals
• Five required diversity/social justice courses for all CPP students
• Integration of multicultural issues into the range of coursework we offer
• Required annual Professional Development Day (workshop on diversity and social justice issues) for all CPP students and faculty
• Two graduate student organizations – Diversity Dialogues (multicultural issues) and Defined Lines (sexual assault prevention)
• Annual Student Diversity Award
• Faculty membership in APA's Division 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women), Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues), and Division 52 (International Psychology)

In addition, in Fall 2006, the faculty of the CPP endorsed the Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity that was endorsed by the American Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA), the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs (CCPTP), and the Society for Counseling Psychology (SCP).

Some of the clearest evidence of our program’s commitment to diversity, however, comes from this sampling of faculty and student research and publication topics:

• Frameworks for multicultural counseling
• Resistance to multiculturalism
• Effects of oppression
• African American racial identity development
• Academic retention and African American men
• Mental health of African American women
• Latinas’ fear of victimization
• Mental health of Asians and Asian Americans
• Feminist identity development
• Intimate partner violence against women
• Women’s career aspirations and leadership roles
• Men and masculinity
• Prejudice toward gay men
• Internalized heterosexism
• Biculturalism and therapeutic change
• Acculturation
• International student well-being