ABSTRACT

The field of clinical child and adolescent psychology is in critical need of transformation to effectively meet the mental health needs of marginalized and minoritized youth. As a field, we must acknowledge and grapple with the racist and colonial structures that support the scientific foundation, education and training of psychologists, and the service systems currently in place to support youth mental health in this country. We argue that to effectuate change toward a discipline that centers inclusivity, intersectionality, anti-racism, and social justice, there are four interrelated systems, structures, or processes that currently support racial inequity and would need to be thoroughly examined, dismantled, and re-imagined: (1) the experience of mental health problems and corresponding access to quality care; (2) the school-to-mental healthcare pathway; (3) the child welfare and carceral systems; and (4) the psychology workforce. A “call to action” is issued to address structural racism in these systems and recommendations are provided to guide clinicians, health care systems, educators, welfare and carceral systems, and those involved in training and retaining psychologists in the field in actions they can take to contribute to transformation. We assert that change will only occur when we individually and collectively take responsibility for the roles we have as agents for radical change within the personal and professional contexts in which we live and work. Only then will the field of clinical child and adolescent psychology be able to address the youth mental health crisis and effectively promote the health and well-being of all children.

摘要

临床儿童和青少年心理学领域迫切需要转型，以有效满足边缘化和少数群体青少年的心理健康需求。作为一个领域，我们必须承认并应对支持科学基础、心理学家教育和培训的种族主义和殖民结构，以及目前支持该国青少年心理健康的服务系统。我们认为，为了实现以包容性、交叉性、反种族主义和社会正义为中心的学科的变革，目前有四个相互关联的系统、结构或过程支持种族不平等，需要进行彻底的审查、拆除和重新调整。 -想象：(1) 心理健康问题的经历以及相应获得优质护理的情况；(2) 学校到心理保健途径；(3) 儿童福利和监禁制度；(4) 心理学队伍。发布了“行动呼吁”以解决这些系统中的结构性种族主义，并提供了建议来指导临床医生、医疗保健系统、教育工作者、福利和监狱系统以及参与培训和留住该领域心理学家的人员采取他们可以采取的行动为转型做出贡献。我们断言，只有当我们个人和集体承担起自己的责任，在我们生活和工作的个人和职业环境中作为彻底变革的推动者时，变革才会发生。