Diversity
Commitment to Anti-Racism
The Master of Arts in Applied Child & Adolescent Psychology: Prevention and Treatment program is committed to practicing anti-racism by fostering diversity and inclusion while promoting equity in all its activities, policies and practices.
Current and historical acts of oppression and prejudice disproportionately devalue people of diverse identities including race, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identification, ability, and socioeconomic status, among others. We are committed to recruiting and retaining staff and students from marginalized and historically excluded groups. We are also dedicated to training all students to do effective clinical work with diverse children, adolescents and families.
We understand that anti-racism must involve institutional level change and we are committed to identifying and challenging bias and racism in every decision we make to achieve more equitable outcomes for our students. The program’s leadership, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee, and faculty are continually working to create a learning environment that centers diverse ideas, perspectives and lived experiences, and honors all identities.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee
The diversity of our students, faculty and staff, enhances the excellence of our program. Our shared goals regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) aim to improve the quality of our program, the training of our students, the services our students and graduates provide to their clients, and the mental health of our broader community.
Our program’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee uses a variety of strategies to build and promote an anti-racist, equitable and inclusive culture. It conducts ongoing reviews of courses to increase DEI content and ensure minoritized and historically excluded voices are represented; addresses programmatic and structural issues related to DEI; supports faculty trainings on creating classes that are inclusive and address equity issues; manages bias reporting; and supports Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students as well as students from other marginalized and oppressed groups.
The 2022–2023 IDEA Committee includes Marisa Keller, Anthony Osuna, Gabi Chavarria, Laura Escalona-Flores, Brenna Christensen, Liz Rojas and Dannielle Whiley.
Bias Reporting Procedures
A bias incident is any act of discrimination or harassment against a member of the university community based on the perception of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability or veteran status. A bias incident does not need to rise to the level of a hate crime (RCW 9A.36.080) to be reported. We want everyone in our community to bring bias incidents to light so that we can identify patterns, learn from mistakes, enact change and increase opportunities for all.
We commit to supporting and listening to individuals who report bias incidents ("reporters"), protecting reporters from retaliation, and remedying bias incidents to create an environment where we better live up to our ideals of inclusion, fairness, justice, accountability and anti-racism.
Resolutions can include individual and group-based trainings, behavior change plans, formal apologies, restorative justice approaches, informal mediation, community healing events, as well as referrals of the incident to appropriate institutional committees, such as UCIRO, Title IX Office, UW Community Standards and Student Conduct, and faculty adjudication proceedings.
Annually, the program director will post a report on the program’s website aggregating the reported bias complaints and their resolutions. The identity of the individuals involved will be anonymized.
Below are the different ways that you can report a bias incident. You can report bias incidents that you personally experienced, witnessed involving others or were reported to you by others.
For a complete set of instructions, please check out Bias Incident Reporting Procedures.
How to Report Bias Incidents
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Anonymous Comment Box | This inbox is checked weekly by the program specialist. It is set up with the lowest level of security (anyone accessing the link can enter a comment) and does not collect names or UW NetIDs. Note: Although names of reporters will not be revealed, depending on the nature and circumstances of the complaint, it might be difficult to maintain the anonymity of the reporter given the size and composition of the class. |
| Program Faculty or IDEA Committee Member | You can initiate a bias incident report by talking to or asking another student to talk to a program faculty member or IDEA Committee member. Mention any useful details, if you would prefer to remain anonymous, whether this report should be escalated or not, who should receive an escalated report and how you would like to receive feedback. The faculty or IDEA committee member will provide you with support. |
| UW Psychology Department’s Diversity Advocacy Team | You can reach out to the UW Department of Psychology's Diversity Advocacy Team and complete the Bias Incident Reporting Form or reach out to the Diversity Advocacy Team member that you are most comfortable with. The Diversity Advocacy Team will collaborate with you or work on your behalf to communicate the bias incident to our faculty or the IDEA Committee. |
| Outside Faculty Member or Clinical Supervisor | You can speak about bias incidents with a trusted faculty member or a clinical practicum supervisor outside of our program. Please ask them to discuss the incident with a member of the IDEA Committee. |
UW Bias Incident Advisory Committee | You can report an incident of bias or suspected bias using the UW’s Bias Reporting Tool which was created in partnership with the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, the Office of Student Life and the president’s Race & Equity Initiative. The UW Bias Incident Advisory Committee will handle bias incident reports. |
| UW Office of the Ombud | You may reach out to the UW Office of the Ombud to prevent, manage, navigate and resolve conflict. |
| University Compliant Investigation and Resolution Office (UCIRO) | Contact the University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office (UCIRO) to speak with a UCIRO officiator to investigate a complaint that a University employee has violated the University’s non-discrimination and/or non-retaliation policy. |
| UW Title IX Office | For discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, pregnant or parenting status, and LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender, queer) identity, you may contact the UW Title IX Office. |
Student Representation
We recognize that a diverse student body benefits everyone: students, instructors and the program as a whole. According to a 2015 report by the American Psychological Association, only 15% of the psychology workforce is BIPOC, compared to 38% of the U.S. population. According to Pew Research projections, the United States will be majority BIPOC by 2050.
Nationally, a 2021 APA survey reports that students in a sample of master’s programs across the U.S. were 37% BIPOC and 52% white on average. Through critical examination of our recruitment and admissions processes, the University of Washington Master of Arts in Applied Child & Adolescent Psychology: Prevention & Treatment program is committed to attracting, retaining and graduating increasing numbers of students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as historically underrepresented populations.
Citations:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/02/datapoint
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2008/02/11/us-population-projections-2005-2050
The Land We're On
The University of Washington Master of Arts in Applied Child & Adolescent Psychology: Prevention & Treatment program exists on the un-ceded ancestral lands of the Coast Salish peoples. We pay our respects to the Duwamish people past, present and future.