Gray-Little honored at American Psychological Association Convention

WASHINGTON — Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little’s work in the field of clinical psychology has earned her a Presidential Founder’s Award from Section VI, Division 12 of the American Psychological Association. She receives the honor today at the 2011 American Psychological Association Convention in Washington, DC.

Gray-Little is being honored for her role in the founding of the APA Society of Clinical Psychology’s section on the Clinical Psychology of Ethnic Minorities. Referred to as Section VI, Division 12 within the APA, this year marks the 25th anniversary of its founding.

“Dr. Gray-Little has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to the development of this section, which has at its heart the goal of improving mental health services for minority populations,” said Beth Boyd, president of the section and professor of psychology at the University of South Dakota.

Section VI was created in 1986 to focus on racial, ethnic and cultural issues in clinical psychology. Its founding goals include providing high-quality training of a larger number of minority psychologists and training psychologists to be sensitive to ethnic and cultural issues. Gray-Little co-chaired the committee that recommended the creation of the section.

“Understanding and treating psychological conditions requires a comprehension of the similarities and differences between ethnic and racial groups,” Gray-Little said. “Creating this section provided a forum for psychologists to study these questions, which has led to better mental health care. I’m proud of the work that’s been done in this field over the past 25 years and honored to receive this award.”

Gray-Little’s research has investigated the relevance of the client and clinician’s ethnic/racial membership to the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. She has also studied the social determinants of self-esteem and factors associated with self-esteem in children and adolescents of varied ethnic groups. And she’s examined relationship satisfaction, decision-making and influence strategies, and conflict among couples.