Panel Discussion 12 - Doing Better: Practical Steps Toward Building Inclusive, Affirming Training Spaces for Minoritized Trainees

There is a growing body of research on the development and dissemination of inclusive, affirming, anti-oppressive psychological interventions for individuals with minoritized identities. However, there is a paucity of research on inclusive, affirming, anti-oppressive training, supervision, and mentoring of trainees holding multiple minoritized identities. The result is a significant lack of guidance for training programs and supervisors that exacerbates the well-documented challenges faced by psychotherapy trainees with minoritized identities (e.g., Palitsky et al., 2022) and is particularly important given the current sociopolitical climate as well as a recent increase in legislation, violence, and rhetoric against historically marginalized communities. This panel will explore theoretical frameworks and evidence-based strategies that psychotherapy training programs can adopt to better support trainees with minoritized identities and enhance training in inclusive, affirming, anti-oppressive interventions in service of client outcomes. This panel will primarily address this issue through the lens of sexual and gender minority (SGM) perspectives and is composed of four psychologists and three trainees who hold multiple minoritized identities and have clinical and research expertise in working with marginalized populations. This panel will examine key issues in training, including structural and policy changes to enhance trainee well-being, self-disclosure, strategies for empowering trainees to advocate for themselves and others, managing microaggressions, and how programs can effectively respond to reports of discrimination within therapy dyads. Discussion will also cover trauma-informed approaches, navigating intersectionality and power dynamics, and best practices for providing affirming, culturally responsive care. The panel will encourage audience members to pose questions and engage in discussion. Additionally, audience members will be provided a compendium of resources to assist them in making improvements to their training activities.