Inclusive Admissions and Training

There is a gaping under-representation of minorities (Hispanic and African American, in particular) among practicing psychologists, which can compound the problem of mental health disparities in underserved communities (SAMSHA, 2018). National data from accredited doctoral programs offers little reassurance the phenomenon will resolve on its own (Callahan et al., 2018). Studies of the psychologist workforce pipeline make clear that graduate admissions is a major point of diversity constriction, although issues occur with retention as well. Programs within and beyond our discipline have tried multiple strategies to reverse this trend, but data on their efficacy varies in quality and scope. We selectively review findings on some of these strategies, present a case study from the clinical psychology program at UNT, and review how the program has sought to connect the issue of inclusiveness in graduate training with mental health disparities in federally designated health professional shortage areas in our community.