The mission of Psychologists of Color, Inc. is to increase the racial & ethnic diversity of the psychologist workforce by supporting future & current psychologists of color.
Our Mission
Psychologists of Color, Inc. (POC) seeks to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of the psychologist workforce by supporting future & current psychologists of color. We aim to increase the number of psychologists of color completing graduate school, becoming licensed, and successfully launching their careers. POC offers targeted support services (including mentorship, psychology licensing exam preparation, and professional development webinars) to psychologists of color.
At its core, this non-profit is about racial justice and equality within the field of psychology.
As psychologists, we have been aware of the lack of racial/ethnic diversity within our professional community for some time. Though we have seen meaningful increases in the numbers of students of color entering graduate programs for psychology, we know that acceptance into graduate school is just the beginning of a complicated journey towards licensure and successful careers as psychologists.
The data from the recent decades in the United States paints a clear picture; the field of psychology is severely lacking in racial and ethnic diversity.
The American Psychological Association (APA) has shared information related to demographics with the field of psychology for every from 2011 through 2023 on their website: (https://www.apa.org/workforce/data-tools/demographics).
In 2011, White psychologists made up 86%, Hispanic psychologists made up 5.5%, Black psychologists made up 4%, Asian psychologists made up 3%, and other races only made up 1.5% of all licensed psychologists.
In 2017, White psychologists made up 84.5%, Hispanic psychologists made up 6%, Black psychologists made up 4%, Asian psychologists made up 3.5%, and other races only made up 2% of all licensed psychologists.
In 2023, White psychologists made up 78.5%, Hispanic psychologists made up 8%, Black psychologists made up 5.5%, Asian psychologists made up 4.5%, and other races only made up 3.5% of all licensed psychologists.
United States population data came from the U.S. Census Bureau for 2023 reveals the following racial/ethnic breakdown:
White: 57.2%
Black: 11.6%
Hispanic: 19.5%
Asian: 5.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native: 0.5%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.2%
Two or more races: 5%
While psychologist workforce statistics over time show minimal gains in the percentage of psychologists of color, there remains a significant discrepancy between these percentages and the racial/ethnic breakdown of the US population as a whole.
And this isn't a static picture — the U.S. population continues to diversify every year, meaning the gap between the psychology workforce and the population it serves will keep widening unless representation in the field grows just as fast.
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF A LACK OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY
The lack of culturally diverse psychologists in the mental health field has critical social implications. Linguistic and cultural barriers between client and therapist discourage BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals from seeking professional help. These populations often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to discrimination, cultural stigma, lack of access to quality mental health care services, and a lack of education about the importance of mental health.
Consequently, BIPOC individuals are extremely underrepresented in voluntary mental health services. This suggests that many BIPOC individuals who have mental health disorders go undiagnosed and untreated, and the effects are detrimental.
- Rates of depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD substance/alcohol abuse, and suicide are disproportionately higher among Indigenous peoples and is linked to the intergenerational trauma forced upon them through colonization.
- Mental disorders are criminalized and met with punitive disciplines among Black and brown children starting from a young age, contributing to the injurious school-to-prison-pipeline.
- Approximately 50% to 75% of youth in the juvenile justice system meet criteria for a mental health disorder. Additionally, Black individuals with mental health conditions, particularly schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and other psychoses are more likely to be incarcerated than people of other races.
- Depression within Hispanic communities is likely to be more persistent than for other racial groups.
- Suicide was the leading cause of death among Asian-Americans ages 15 - 24 in 2017. They are consistently the least likely racial group to seek mental health services.
- Hispanic communities are at a higher risk for experiencing psychological stress associated with immigration and acculturation and are more likely to report their communication with care providers as poor and inadequate.
