A psychologist gave two talks at a local conference – one on psychedelic therapies and one on the state licensing board. Guess which was more controversial?

Barriers to Scholarship

Strauss, D., Gran-Ruaz, S., Osman, M., Williams, M., & Faber, S. (2023). Racism and censorship in the editorial and peer review process. Frontiers in Psychology: Cultural Psychology, 14 (1120938), 1-16.

Faber, S. C., Williams, M. T., Metzger, I. W., MacIntyre, M. M., Strauss, D., Duniya, C. G., Sawyer, K., Cénat, J. M., & Goghari, V. M. (2023). Lions at the gate: How weaponization of policy prevents people of colour from becoming professional psychologists in Canada. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 64(4), 335–354.

Shining a Light on the Discipline of Psychology

Our lab is dedicated to examining and addressing racism and structural injustice within the field of psychology, with a focus on increasing access, equity, and inclusion. By advocating for structural reforms in education, professional organizations, and publishing, our lab seeks to dismantle systemic barriers and create a more equitable and inclusive discipline. Key areas include:

• Inclusion and Access in Psychology Graduate Education
• Fairness in the Editorial and Peer Review Processes
• Addressing Racism in Professional Spaces

A critical area of our work has been exploring the barriers faced by people of color seeking entry into the field of psychology, particularly in Canadian psychology graduate programs. This lack of inclusion has significant consequences, as it perpetuates a shortage of psychologists who can serve minoritized ethnic and cultural communities. Through extensive analysis, we have identified systemic obstacles and proposed concrete recommendations to enhance inclusivity at institutional, programmatic, and policy levels. While these recommendations are tailored to BIPOC applicants in psychology, they also provide a framework for improving access for other underrepresented groups in higher education.

In addition to barriers to entry, our research highlights systemic inequities that persist for psychologists of color throughout their careers. For instance, we investigated the misuse of power in disciplinary actions by a state psychology licensing board, revealing the disproportionate risks faced by early-career psychologists, particularly those with marginalized identities. Our work also sheds light on the racism experienced by psychologists of color within professional organizations, such as the contextual behavioral science (CBS) community, where inclusion often remains superficial and performative. By addressing these systemic issues, we aim to create professional environments that value and demand diversity.

Our research also confronts structural injustices within the academic and publishing realms. We have examined racism and censorship in editorial and peer review processes, which continue to hinder BIPOC scholarship and reinforce inequities in psychological science. Our contributions include participation in initiatives such as the Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Reporting Standards (JARS–REC), developed by the American Psychological Association to establish guidelines for equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice in research reporting.