In my own professional life, I have found that some of the most important things I have learned were not addressed in my classes. My graduate program was APA-accredited and provided a good basic training (known as “generalist” training) in how to work with anyone and everyone who might seek therapy or assessment. But that meant that it glossed over some of the important specific concerns that some clients have about accessing therapy and getting the help they need. I had to seek out more specialized training on my own. When I was in graduate school, this took the form of joining the Multi-Ethnic Counseling Center Alliance, a place where therapists of differing racial and ethnic identities came together and shared honest personal stories of their experiences with society and within the work setting. This was the first place I learned that Black/African American families teach their children at an early age how to appease White people in order to stay safe. I was in my postdoctoral fellowship when I first heard the phrase “social justice” and realized that I wanted to be a part of it. I have learned so much from mentors, trainings, friends, and family members, and from my clients (unfortunately sometimes relying on their graciousness to forgive me when I showed them my ignorance). I continue to learn and grow, and sometimes make mistakes in the process.

I am currently in a place where I can give back (as a professor) by sharing what I have learned with the next generation of psychologists-in-training. My most recent class session focused on constructs of gender beyond the gender binary and Gender Dysphoria as a diagnosis with a long and controversial history. Our discussion was sometimes intense and uncomfortable as people shared knowledge, experience, misconceptions, and questions with each other.  It was a reminder that some of us have the privilege of being oblivious to the experiences of others and that we don’t know what we don’t know until we allow ourselves to have uncomfortable conversations that challenge our assumptions. Of course, this was one class session of one class, so I don’t expect to have created radical change. My hope is that as these students become professionals, they will continue to seek out more training and will make fewer mistakes (or maybe just different ones) than I have. In the process, I hope that the communities they serve will be seen, known, and valued in ways that haven’t happened in the past.