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Bringing New Perspectives into Psychology

Updated: Mar 24, 2023

About the Author. Hi! I’m Sheryn, the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity (EDII)I Coordinator for the Psychology DSC. My position was created this year to bring equity into focus within the psychology department. The Diversity in Psychology Event was the DSC's first step towards that goal!


As a marginalized individual, being at Queen's has been a daunting experience for many reasons. When I go to my classes or tutorials, I can often count the number of other BIPOC students on one hand. Every time we get to the portion of the year that focuses on equity–often thrown in at the very end as if an afterthought–I can't help but roll my eyes. What do these professors really know about being an equity-deserving student?


I’ve struggled a lot with imposter syndrome. Historically speaking, psychology is a predominantly white, cishet field. So truthfully, in some ways, I am an imposter in the field; but being an imposter doesn't make me any less capable than my cishet, white counterparts. In fact, my positionality helps me view things from a different perspective than my peers, and I always have a topic to write about in my papers!


Aside from that, doing equity work means I get to partake in meaningful work. Something I remind people who also work in equity is, yes, it sucks that we have to do this work, and yes, someone should've done something about it a long time ago, but here we are, doing it right now. We’re making history and making room for more people like us. That is something to celebrate!


I think The Diversity in Psychology Event is a step in the right direction, and I hope it keeps getting bigger and better as the years go on. I have no doubt Queen's is still going to be a scary place for marginalized communities for years to come. However, by amplifying students’ voices and building community, we can help make things a little easier for everyone who comes after us.


A preview into the speakers and their presentations…


Melody Garas (they/them)

Melody is a third-year psychology major with an interest in clinical psychology. They are a research assistant in both the MoodLab and the SexLab, as well as a directed lab student with Dr. Kate Harkness. They are passionate about equity, especially within research and academia. Their presentation was a brief introduction into racial inequity within the psychology field.


Julia Moreau (she/her)

Julia Moreau is a first-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program and Relationships, Emotions, and Depression in Youth Lab. For her dissertation, she looks forward to investigating interpersonal mechanisms that are protective against psychopathology among Indigenous youth. Outside of her lab work, she contributes to research efforts aiming to better understand the holistic wellness of Indigenous post-secondary students. Her presentation covered Indigenous ways of knowing and clinical psychology.


Dr. Kim S. Daniel (she/her)

Dr. Daniel completed her residency at Surrey Place Centre in Toronto working with neurodiverse individuals with differing developmental disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Currently, she provides cognitive behavioural therapy as a therapist at CBT Associates. She is also the Director of Community Partnership and Innovation (CPI) and staff lead for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) at Surrey Place. Dr. Daniel engages in ongoing research in regards to EDIA and developmental research and provides consultative work to the Greater Toronto Community. As a faculty member at Adler University, Kim teaches CBT and cultural humility courses to graduate students. Her presentation provided an overview of how to understand and support neurodiverse clients.


Sherry Han (she/her)

Sherry is a third-year psychology major and political studies minor. She is particularly interested in developmental and clinical psychology. She hopes to pursue research after her undergrad in developmental psychology focusing on youth from minority backgrounds. In her presentation, Sherry shared her experiences and interest in The Model Minority Myth. The goal of her presentation was to bring awareness to unique pressures that BIPOC students may face and implications it has for research as well as the well-being of Asian students.


Dr. Luis Flores (he/him)

Dr. Flores is a queer Latino assistant professor in the psychology department at Queen’s. He directs the Relationships, Emotions, and Depression in Youth (READY) Lab and is a member of the Psychology Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee. In this role, Dr. Flores and his team conducted an undergraduate research experiences survey, which is informing initiatives that can help address perceived barriers for students looking to engage in research opportunities.


Check out the recording of the presentations HERE!




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