Atheism as a Concealable Stigmatized Identity: Outness, Anticipated Stigma, and Well-Being

In a preliminary exploration of atheists using a concealable stigmatized identity framework, we investigated outness, identity magnitude, anticipated stigma, and psychological and physical well-being. Atheists (N = 1,024) in the United States, completed measures of outness, atheist identity magnitude, anticipated stigma, and psychological and physical well-being online. Consistent with predictions, we found small but significant associations between (a) anticipated stigma and well-being, (b) social components of atheist identity magnitude and outness as well as well-being, and (c) outness and well-being. A significant and moderate association was found between anticipated stigma and outness. There were significant, small indirect effects of ingroup ties, a social component of atheist identity magnitude, on psychological and physical well-being via outness; and of ingroup affect, another social component of magnitude, on psychological well-being via disclosure of atheist identity. Implications for research, practice, and training are offered

Cultural Humility and the Teaching of Psychology

Cultural humility is an important component of psychotherapy and training in applied psychology in recent years (Davis et al., 2018). To date, cultural humility has not been applied to education in psychology. Guided by broad multicultural, multicultural orientation, and cultural humility literature, we provide support and recommendations for developing and utilizing cultural humility in psychology education. Specifically, we provide the following recommendations for facilitation of cultural humility by educators and researchers in psychology: (a) participating in self-reflection and evaluation of personal power, privilege, and marginalization; (b) engagement in lifelong cultural learning; (c) allowing students to determine which identities are salient; (d) cultivating a classroom in which cultural humility can occur and encouraging a developmental approach to understanding culture; (e) developing assignments and course content in the interest of fostering cultural humility among students; (f) providing mentorship that honors students’ cultural identities; and (g) demonstrating awareness of limitations of traditional research methods

Anti-atheist Discrimination, Outness, and Psychological Distress among Atheists of Color

Using a Concealable Stigmatized Identity (CSI) framework, the present study explored disclosure and concealment of atheist identity, anti-atheist discrimination, and psychological distress among participants (N = 87) identified as both atheists and people of color residing in the United States (US). Path analysis was utilized to examine the relationships among variables. Consistent with past CSI and outness research, the final model suggested small, significant associations between higher disclosure of atheist identity and more experiences of anti-atheist discrimination as well as between higher concealment and higher psychological distress. Unexpectedly, higher concealment of atheist identity was associated with higher anti-atheist discrimination and, contrary to previous studies, higher disclosure was associated with higher psychological distress. Notably, there was no significant relationship between anti-atheist discrimination and psychological distress in the final model. Implications for future research, training, and practice are provided

Sexuality Training in Counseling Psychology

The United States (U.S.) is characterized by some of the poorest sexual health outcomes in the industrialized world, as indicated by the teen and unplanned pregnancy rates, rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and occurrence of sexual dysfunction. Many people seek psychotherapy for sex-related concerns, yet little is known about the specific education psychologists receive during their training regarding sex. Existing research has largely been conducted in Canada and among clinical psychologists. While studies have revealed that few applied psychology graduate programs offer training in sexuality, very little is known about the specific content areas covered by those programs who do offer this training. We surveyed faculty from 38 counseling psychology doctoral programs primarily in the U.S. Results indicated that relatively few programs offer comprehensive training in sexuality with particular areas such as sex therapy, sexual expression, and reproductive health especially unlikely to be covered. Commonly covered topics included sexual development, sexual orientation and gender identity, intimacy, sexual trauma and abuse, and intersectionality. Implications for training and future research are offered

The US in Uterus: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Psychologists Advocating for Reproductive Justice

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, millions of people with uteruses have been forced to navigate precarious access to reproductive care. Although health service psychologists have an ethical responsibility to engage in reproductive justice advocacy, training programs often do not adequately address sexual and reproductive health. Therefore, we sought to better understand how health service psychologists’ personal and professional experiences influence each other and explore the ways in which we as reproductive beings and advocates sustain ourselves amidst tremendous sociopolitical uncertainty. In order to do so, we employed a feminist collaborative autoethnography approach grounded in critical theory. Attending to intersectional identities that help shape diverse expectations and experiences, two early career psychologists and four trainees uncovered 12 domains: barriers in academia; reproductive (dis)empowerment; relational connection; power(lessness) associated with social locations; internalization of sex-negative messages; the influence of sociopolitical climate; burdens related to reproductive rights; evaluations of reproductive justice efforts; component of professional identity; expectations from family and community; overwhelming and exhausting advocacy; and fears of inadequacy. We conclude with limitations and implications for the continued promotion of advocacy through practice and training within and beyond the field of psychology

Psychotherapy with Nonreligious Clients: A Relational-Cultural Approach

In extant literature related to the integration of religion/spirituality (R/S) in psychotherapy, nonreligious clients are often excluded or briefly mentioned. Further, few theoretical frameworks supporting recommendations for intervention with or for conceptualization of nonreligious clients’ unique experiences and presenting concerns are offered. The present article summarizes psychotherapy-relevant scholarship related to nonreligious people in the United States and offers recommendations for intervention using a Relational-Cultural Therapy approach. In addition to increasing awareness of systemic oppression, resilience, and potential clinical needs of nonreligious clients, the article proposes concrete strategies for addressing structural inequity that disadvantages nonreligious people through conceptualization of such experiences as relevant to clients’ presenting concerns, interventions that honor clients’ nonreligious identities, and use of the therapeutic relationship to decrease nonreligious clients’ distress by fostering connection

Sexuality as a Competency: Advancing Training to Serve the Public

Sexual health and sexual well-being are vital components of overall physical and mental well-being yet remain largely understudied, approached mainly from disease prevention and intervention perspectives, and generally excluded from most health service psychology training programs. People of color; women; lesbian, gay, and bisexual people; trans and gender diverse; disabled; and poor people are disproportionately adversely impacted by a lack of access to suitable sexual health services and reproductive healthcare. Sex education is inadequate in the United States across the lifespan, including in health service psychology training programs. Therapy clients often have sexual concerns they want to discuss, yet because sexuality is seldom covered adequately in training programs, psychologists are often ill prepared and uncomfortable addressing sex. Drawing from the Benchmarks Competencies (Fouad et al., 2009; Hatcher et al., 2013), we provide a rationale for and application of several key foundational and functional competencies to explicate a template for addressing sexuality in training psychologists and positioning sexuality as a competency that should be centralized in graduate psychology training. We offer both a roadmap for a graduate course in sexuality and several ideas for infusing sexuality across the curriculum for programs that may be unable to dedicate a course to the study of sexuality

The Role of Moral Reasoning and Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality in the Development of Bisexual Counseling Competence

Research on counselor competence regarding bisexuality is scarce, despite the greater prevalence of negative attitudes about bisexuality as compared to other sexual minorities (Flanders & Hatfield, 2014) both within the general public and the LGBTQ+ community (Matsick & Rubin, 2018). Therapist attitudes and moral development are 2 constructs known to affect multicultural counseling competence; however, although some research has examined competence in working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals all together, bisexual individuals specifically are underrepresented or absent in examinations of the relationship between these 2 constructs. Therefore, this study examined whether postconventional moral reasoning has an indirect relationship with bisexual counseling competence through attitudes regarding bisexuality. Currently licensed therapists were surveyed using the Defining Issues Test 2, Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality Scale, Counseling Bisexual Clients Competence Scale, and a modified version of the Multicultural Case Conceptualization Ability Task. Results indicated an indirect relationship between levels of postconventional moral reasoning and self-report of bisexual counseling competence through attitudes regarding bisexuality. However, no such relationships were found when bisexual counseling competence was measured by ability to utilize cultural factors related to bisexuality in case conceptualization of etiology and treatment. Significance of these findings as well as implications for education and training, practice, and research, are discussed

Coping Matters: An Examination of Coping among Black Americans during COVID-19

Using a critical race theory framework and a convergent mixed-method design, this study examined the relationship between coping with stress and psychological distress among Black U.S. Americans (N = 155) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of race-based stressors (e.g., anti-Black racism). Path analysis revealed mixed support for hypotheses; avoidant coping was positively related to all measured facets of psychological distress, whereas socially supported coping was associated with none. Self-sufficient coping was negatively associated with only depressive symptoms. Qualitative analysis revealed four salient themes: (a) Race and the COVID-19 Pandemic, (b) Complex Pandemic Related Changes to Life, (c) Emotional Responses to the Pandemic, and (d) Coping with the COVID Pandemic. These themes suggested the pandemic disrupted participants’ ability to engage in, or effectively use, typically adaptive coping strategies and distress was exacerbated by fears for the safety of other Black U.S. Americans. Implications for training, practice, research, and advocacy are discussed

Development and Evaluation of the Atheist Identity Concealment Scale (AICS)

The Atheist Identity Concealment Scale (AICS) was developed as a tool to assess the degree to which atheists conceal their atheist identity from others. Drawing on concealable stigmatized identity (CSI) theory, the aim of this study was to provide researchers with a valid means to effectively assess atheist identity concealment. Using three separate samples of more than 500 adults in the USA, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted which ultimately resulted in a short, robust measure that comprised eight items. Additional validity evidence was provided by examining the relationship between the AICS and several previously validated tools (i.e., outness, nonreligiosity, depression, anxiety, stress, and self-esteem)