Clinical Program Diversity Committee Resource Sheet

2026

Community Agreement

Collective engagement in action-oriented discussions and initiatives about anti-racism and cultural humility are vital to our growth as individuals as well as in our roles as psychologists and psychologists-in-training. In order to broach these difficult, yet necessary conversations, it is imperative that we each employ compassion and take a moment to reflect before responding to others’ thoughts, perspectives, experiences, and opinions. Particularly, as the racial/ethnic composition of the Psychology Department is predominantly White, we are all encouraged to be mindful of the longstanding minority stress that individuals of minoritized backgrounds experience on a regular basis. While we are excited to learn from one another through our continued conversations surrounding anti-racism, diversity and inclusion, please keep in mind that people of minoritized backgrounds, including, but not limited to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), or identities relating to sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, socioeconomic status, nationality, immigration status, religion, and spirituality often have first-hand lived experiences that are very different from second-hand reading and learning about such experiences. We are all encouraged to challenge both our own and others’ thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, rather than challenging people, in order to facilitate a psychologically safe discussion that encourages active listening, learning, and changing. Mistakes, misspeaks, and potential offenses are expected to occur, which can serve as learning opportunities for all. In order to provide a seat at the table for everyone to have a voice, we all must be respectful of the time, space, power, and positionality we each occupy to allow for inclusive and rich discussions. Moreover, we are all responsible for upholding this community agreement. We are thankful for each others’ commitment to promote and actively work toward inclusivity, equity, anti-racism, and cultural humility, as we embark on this powerful journey together.

Mission Statement

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Clinical Psychology Program Diversity Committee (CPPDC) is a self-selected collection of graduate students, faculty, and staff working in concert to cultivate an inclusive, just, anti-racist, and diverse environment within the Clinical Psychology Program, as well as the larger department, university, Milwaukee community, and field of psychology. Below are the CPPDC’s current primary aims:

  1. Personal and program-wide commitment to actively uphold antiracist principles, while working to dismantle instantiations of systemic racism within the program, department, university, Milwaukee community and field of Psychology.
  2. Embrace the vital importance of cultural sensitivity, responsiveness, and humility in all aspects of personal and professional development, training, and action.
  3. Strive to decolonize current infrastructures in order to create and provide a culturally sensitive, responsive, and humble space for the development and implementation of action initiatives relating to systemic racism, oppression, and social injustices.
  4. Maintain a growth mindset and remain open to feedback as there is collective responsibility for achieving this aim.
  5. Foster a mutually beneficial partnership between researchers, clinicians, and community members in order to facilitate culturally responsive dissemination of information, ideas, and resources.

Working Group Mission Statements

Effectively strive towards this mission through the contributions from subcommittees. Each subcommittee and their mission are detailed below:

Clinical: The Clinical Working Group seeks to foster an environment that esteems cultural humility, responsiveness and sensitivity across students, faculty and staff. Towards that end, we seek to promote inclusivity, provide culturally conscious care, and create a safer and more welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds.

Community Engagement: The Community Engagement Working Group seeks to increase awareness of and mutual engagement with community events and activities within the Milwaukee metropolitan area related to Diversity and Inclusion and thereby support the cultural humility and sensitivity of students, faculty, and staff.

Education: The Education Working Group seeks to advance program education in personal and professional development in multiculturalism and cultural sensitivity across all areas of training.

Research: The Research Working Group seeks to engender access and opportunity to pursue scientific endeavors with the ultimate goals of increasing representation in clinical science broadly and reduce health disparities in minoritized groups.

Multicultural Consultation Team

The Clinical Psychology Program developed a Multicultural Peer Consultation Team (MCT) in the Fall 2021 semester as an adjunct to clinical training. The goal of the MCT is to provide a space for students and faculty to consult with one another about multicultural topics as they pertain to either assessment or therapy cases. The structure of the MCT is horizontal (as opposed to vertical, as is the case in Vertical Teams), thus the group is not “led” by anyone. Rather, peer facilitators organize materials for the meeting, take attendance, and take notes. The MCT meets biweekly on Fridays from 1:00-2:00PM and occurs on weeks opposite to the Multicultural Seminar. All trainees are invited to attend the MCT to receive case consultation.

Multicultural Seminar in Clinical Psychology

This is a doctoral level seminar class was designed for clinical psychology doctoral students enrolled in their first three years of study. This course was designed to promote the development of cultural humility and cultural competency for clinical psychologists in training. It was designed within the context of engaging in integrative multicultural training across multiple courses, didactics, and clinical training in the UWM Clinical Psychology program. The course is meant to be interactive, reflective and experiential; it includes both in person classes (lectures, guest lectures, presentations, small and large group discussions) supplemented by asynchronous and/or online exercises or experiences and engagement in a small group social justice/professional advocacy project. Consistent with APA Multicultural Guidelines, the course will attend to all dimensions of identity and human diversity, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, marital status, national origin, immigration status, disability status, and how these identities and others may intersect across the lifespan. Topics will rotate across the seminar’s offering and will include lectures, guest speakers (scientists, educators, advocates, community members), discussions, and advocacy engagement across multiple professional domains (i.e., promoting culturally appropriate clinical care, research, teaching, consultation, supervision and mentoring).

Additional Program Resources

Multicultural Student Centers

The Multicultural Student Centers support the mission and core values of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee by engaging in collaborative relationships with campus and community partners to improve recruitment, retention and graduation of students from multicultural backgrounds. We contribute to student success by 1) providing holistic advising and coaching that complement and support the academic advising that students receive from Pathway Advising and the schools and colleges where students are completing their degree; 2) carrying out sociocultural programs and activities that foster a welcoming and inclusive campus community; 3) creating partnerships internally to strengthen collaborations among students and student-faculty relationships; and 4) serving as a resource and clearinghouse for materials that speak to the experiences of diverse groups in higher education.

  • American Indian Student Center
    American Indian Student Center’s vision is to assist and support UWM American Indian students and to help make our communities stronger. The program provides potential and currently enrolled students with personalized support services which will help them realize their educational goals and make their UWM experience a fulfilling one.
  • Black Student Cultural Center
    The Black Student Cultural Center (BSCC) facilitates the recruitment, retention and growth of students of African descent by maintaining an environment that promotes academic excellence and personal achievements. The Black Student Cultural Center provides key programs and services to students that allow them to grow. Our events focus on students of African descent academically, socially, culturally and globally through programming and networking.
  • Roberto Hernández Center
    The Roberto Hernández Center is dedicated to serving UWM students and our Milwaukee community. The RHC primarily serves Latinx/a/o undergraduate students at UWM, however, all students are welcome!
  • Southeast Asian American Student Center (SEAASC)
    SEAASC continues to play an important role in the recruitment and retention of Southeast Asian American (Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian and Vietnamese) students at UWM. It works closely with faculty, staff, families, alumni, and Southeast Asian American community leaders to ensure student success. SEAASC’s mission is to provide culturally sensitive supportive services that are essential for Southeast Asian American students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to achieve their educational goals.

Centers for Advocacy and Student Engagement (CASE)

A collective effort to educate, connect resources and develop programming that advocates for all students, ourselves, and each other in order to impact change at structural, institutional, and systemic levels. Each of these Centers serve students by creating spaces, programs and resources that support each student’s journey through UWM. The members of CASE include the:

  • Inclusive Excellence Center (IEC)
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Plus Resource Center (LGBTQ+RC)
    The UWM LGBTQ+RC strives to create a welcoming campus community by providing social-justice-based education, resources, programming, and support for students across the spectrums of gender and sexuality, with an emphasis on intersectional experiences.
  • Military and Veteran’s Resource Center (MAVRC)
    Opened in November of 2012, the Military and Veterans Resource Center (MAVRC) works to address the challenges faced by current and former service members and their dependents. MAVRC is committed to assisting the military related students at UWM in completing successful transitions from the military, through their education and into the civilian workplace.
  • Women’s Resources Center (WRC)
    The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is an open and safe space that focuses on empowering womxn, ending gender violence, and establishing gender equity. We use an intersectional lens to advocate for the education, empowerment and agency of womxn-identified students. Our vision is equality for all students.
  • Spiritual and Religious Communities at UWM
    Spiritual and religious communities provide opportunities for students to be centered in a caring community, explore the connections between faith-traditions and real world complexities, make a difference in the lives of others through service work, and grow in a sense of their own abilities and self-awareness. Involvement activities for many different faith-traditions and philosophies can be found on campus and in the Greater Milwaukee Area. Members of the SRC have many things in common. Each participating religious group is affiliated with a religious organization; is staffed by ministry professionals; and exists for the express purpose of supporting UWM students, staff, and faculty. UWM recognizes the SRC as an important support system for students. Leaders from the SRC may serve on University-wide committees and are called upon by UWM administrators to assist in crisis intervention and student support. Each group represented in the SRC offers opportunities for students to grow spiritually, make friends, and develop leadership skills.
  • Accessibility Resource Center (ARC)
    The Accessibility Resource Center at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee is dedicated to providing equal access for students with disabilities to the University’s academic, social, cultural and recreational programs. We provide comprehensive services and accommodations for students with disabilities as well as outreach and support to faculty and staff. The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible University experience for all students.

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