Centering Anti-Racism in Counseling with African American Men

Bill Johnson, Psy.D. and Jocelyn Markowicz, Ph.D.

Recorded on November 14th, 2022 9 am- 12:20 pm

3 CE Credits

$80/MPA/MSPA Member $130/Non Members

Meets the MD Licensing Requirement for Cultural Diversity

Intermediate- Psychologists who have experience in the content area or are familiar with the literature.

In his seminal book “The Souls of Black Folk” published originally in 1903, scholar and activist W.E.B. Dubois powerfully declared that “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line” (Dubois 1989, p15). The year 2020 presented global challenges with the interface of a pandemic alongside the resurgence of visual displays of historical racism. African American men have uniquely been impacted by racism. Understanding the interface of institutional racism on our provision of psychological services is necessary to work actively to implement anti-racist practices. Diversity training was long touted as a dynamic mechanism to reduce racist practices. However, Bezrukova, Spell, Perry, and Jehn’s (2016) meta-analysis of research on diversity training illuminated weaknesses in our goal to mitigate the impact of systemic racism. They found that we maintain knowledge of diverse cultures, but changes in attitudinal/affective learning are not maintained long-term. Racism is not reduced by the mere learning of cultural norms and morays of diverse groups. Our presentation will emphasize the impact of racism on African American men and offer practical ways to provide anti-racist care. Participants will be able to describe racial biases negatively impacting the mental health of African American men. They will be able to define and provide examples of anti-racist therapy and diagnostic strategies. They will also be able to explain how anti-racist centered treatment extends outside the therapy room. Lastly, they will understand why anti-racist centered treatment is a necessity, not a consideration.

By the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to

• Describe racial biases negatively impacting the mental health of African American Men
• Define and provide examples of anti-racist therapy and diagnostic strategies
• Explain how anti-racist centered treatment extends outside the therapy room

REGISTER NOW

Bill Johnson, Psy.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He has a full-time private practice and consultation business. He has published articles and delivered presentations at national and international conferences confronting hegemonic masculinities, racism, sexism and advancing the discourse on culturally competent mental health treatment for African American and diverse males. Dr. Johnson also maintains several professional memberships, including being a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapist (AASECT), and the American Psychological Association (APA). He is a current board member of the division 51 of the APA, Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities. Dr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Central Missouri and earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University School of Professional Psychology in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Johnson is originally from St. Louis, MO, he is a sports enthusiast, LeBron James fan, avid meditator, global traveler and movie connoisseur.

Jocelyn Markowicz, Ph.D. is a Licensed Counseling Psychologist currently licensed in the state of California and Michigan. She operates group practice locations in California and Michigan. Dr. Markowicz received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University. She received her master’s degree in counseling from the University of Houston. She earned her doctorate degree in counseling psychology at Pennsylvania State University Her clinical interests are broad and have included forensic psychology, working with diverse populations within community and academic settings, and helping to reduce the stigma of mental illness and increase access to effective treatment.

Her dissertation titled: Intergroup Contact Experience in Dialogues on Race Groups: Does Empathy and Informational Identity Style Help Explain Prejudice Reduction has been cited by many researchers examining factors that are associated with anti-racist training.  She has presented at national conferences and has been interviewed by live broadcasts. She published five books in the Bee Psychologist book series for children.