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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at CAPS

Date: June 1, 2020
Subject: Dismantling Oppression

The staff at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) join the UC San Diego community in collective mourning and outrage at the violence that continues to be perpetrated on Black, Indigenous, & People of Color communities (BIPOC). We recognize that Black deaths and the related protests are a culmination of hundreds of years of anti-Black brutality. The trauma from living in a country that perpetuates the long-term impacts of slavery cannot be healed until systems of oppression are dismantled. We are called to strive daily to understand how we, as individuals and as an organization, can dismantle systems of oppression such as white supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy and xenophobia. We must be accountable to our community as we move to confront these biased systems. We commit to an ongoing dialog geared toward creating change in our department and community, and we will develop and post on our website a list of our plans for action. It is a critical time for us all to gather to affirm our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. If you would like support with coping and healing, CAPS is available 24/7, even during the COVID-19 closures, to be in community with you, to provide counseling, to be a listening ear, and to stand firm against social injustices. If you know of other ways we can serve the community, please contact us.

The Staff at Counseling and Psychological Services

CAPS EDI Efforts: History

CAPS has a strong history of commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. From its inception in the 1970s, the foundations of CAPS were built upon innovative forms of service delivery and training of professionals. Part of this nontraditional approach stemmed from the community-based, de-centralized composition of UCSD. Accordingly, CAPS was “decentralized” across the campus, with staff housed and linked to the college and campus communities. In theory, this meant that traditional barriers to services could be broken. In practice, this meant making a concerted effort to developing multiculturally responsive services and programs that would promote access to ALL students. CAPS continues to challenge itself to develop and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in its offerings, including clinical services, outreach, consultation, training, and research.

Current Events

Recent diveristy-related issues and events locally, nationally, and in the world have had an impact on our campus community. CAPS remains a committed presence on our campus to provide support for our students and community. With each situation that has affected our community, CAPS has been asked to provide immediate and long-term assistance to our communities through direct service, consultation, and outreach. We welcome these requests and view it as our (and our campus') mission for equity and inclusion. Below is a list of resources, as well as our current EDI Efforts:

CAPS EDI Efforts:

Community Forums
  • APIMEDA Community Forum
  • First Generation College Student Forum
  • Forum for Undocumented Students
  • Black Women's Collective
  • Campus Black Forum
  • Gradfuate Students of Color Forum
  • Graduate Women in Engineering and Science Forum
  • Latinx/Chicanx Cafecito Hour
  • Outside the Box Forum
  • Gay Men's Relationship Forum
  • International Student Forum
Groups and Workshops
  • Coming Out Group
  • Daily Drop-in Workshops
Outreach
  • Summer Bridge Facilitators
  • Diversity Training for Campus
  • Conference Participation on EDI topics
Consultation
  • Allies Committee
  • Campus and SHS EDI Committees
  • Consultation to Campus Community Centers
Training
  • Post-Doctoral Residency Program
  • Diversity Training for CAPS Staff
Research
  • Publications by CAPS Staff on EDI topics (over 30 publications)
  • Diversity research

Resources

Resources for Black and African American Students
Resources for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
Resources for Non-Black People of Color
Resources for Allies
Articles
  • Asian Pacific Islander’s for Black Lives Matter: Tran, N., Nakamura, N., Kim, G. S., Khera, G. S., & AhnAllen, J. M. (2018). #APIsforBlackLives: Unpacking the interracial discourse on the Asian American Pacific Islander and Black communities. Community Psychology in Global Perspective, 4(2), 73-84.
  • Hope, E. C., Hoggard, L. S., & Thomas, A. (2016). Becoming an adult in the face of racism. Monitor on Psychology, 47(6), 35-38.
  • Gee, G. C., Hing, A., Mohammed, S., Tabor, D. C., & Williams, D. R. (2019). Racism and the life course: taking time seriously. American journal of public health, 109(S1), S43-S47.
  • Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race by Derald Wing Sue: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22775522-race-talk-and-the-conspiracy-of-silence