Clinical Round Table 8 - Culturally Responsive Therapeutic Group Interventions for Underrepresented Populations

The primary goal of this clinical roundtable will be to describe the value of group interventions geared towards underserved patient populations, and to present outcomes related to the creation of two such group interventions. Research has shown that culturally responsive clinical care improves ethnic minorities’ health care outcomes (Joo & Liu, 2020). However, many trainees in psychology and psychiatry lack the necessary training in cultural humility to effectively treat historically underserved populations in their clinical work, in both individual and group treatment settings (Galán et al., 2024; Weissman et al., 2001; Venkataramu et al., 2021). Research has shown that group psychotherapy tailored to the needs of underrepresented populations is a promising clinical intervention, and yet is all too limited in its utilization by providers. Therefore, the expert group of panelists will describe the implementation, and preliminary outcomes of two group interventions developed within the Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Psychiatry Department that were geared towards two underrepresented populations that are especially vulnerable to mental illness – black children and adolescents, and underrepresented women in medical and graduate school programs (Asabere et al, 2024; Wilkens-Yel et al, 2022). These groups relied heavily on mindfulness, cognitive, and behavioral interventions, and were designed with the goal of promoting pride and resilience amongst the group participants. Consistent with this year’s ABCT theme of promoting rigorous science and inclusive affirming therapies, these two interventions aimed to provide an inclusive space for participants, as well as a space for learning skills for facing discrimination in everyday lives. The panelists will lead exercises to give participants an interactive experience, and demonstrate certain key interventions used while conducting these groups. The panelists will also facilitate discussions on navigating challenges that arise when developing group interventions of this kind.