Helen Neville

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | UIUC · Department of Educational Psychology

Amid today's polycrisis—marked by global violence, chaos, and uncertainty—there is an urgent imperative for healing. In this reimagined presidential address, I advocate for centering justice and joy as powerful forces for healing, which is a core value of the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP). I share SCP's yearlong activities exploring person...

Suicide is a leading cause of death among Black emerging adults. The concurrent effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial discrimination were projected to exacerbate suicide vulnerability for Black Americans. The purpose of the present study was to utilize a risk-resilience model to examine the effects of racial discrimination and COVID-related st...

Using a decolonial approach, we provided a narrative review of the research on racism in psychology and conducted a systematic review of the top five psychology journals publishing research on racism and mental health to identify trends in racism research over time and the research gaps. We examined 372 articles on racism published between 1992 and...

For the first time in its 130-year history, the American Psychological Association formally admitted to its ugly racist past and acknowledged how White supremacy continues to pervade the profession. Although the apology spans the entire field of psychology, the primary focus of this article is on how the profession of counseling and psychotherapy h...

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of racial–ethnic–cultural (REC) belonging for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). The iBelong Scale was designed to assess the multidimensional components of REC belonging across diverse BIPOC groups. The scale was constructed based on a grounded conceptual framework of REC belong...

We used a practical–participatory evaluation method to develop and critically evaluate a racial literacy education program for police recruits. The 10-h Racial Literacy Project (RLP) education was developed over the course of a year and across two training cohorts. The programming was informed by the literature and using the input of a core academi...

A key component of racial and ethnic identity, sense of belonging is a complex, multidimensional construct that relates to psychosocial well-being for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). To date, this core component is both undertheorized and does not yet have an operational consensual definition across psychology. This study developed...

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop and provide initial psychometric support for the Racially Biased Reasoning Scale—Police (RBias—Police). The vignette-based RBias—Police is designed to capture rigid racially biased beliefs. The items focus on police interactions with people of color as this is a particularly emotional-laden issue...

The negative impact of racism on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color's (BIPOC's) mental and physical health is well-documented. Research supports the critical role of personal hope as a buffer against despair and adverse health outcomes among BIPOC. However, there is a dearth of empirical research exploring the experiences of BIPOC's sense of co...

The contributions of Black scholars to psychology have been erased or marginalized within mainstream, U.S.-centered psychology. As such, psychologists and trainees have little exposure to strengths-based theories and schools of thought that center and humanize the experiences of people of African descent. This special issue intervenes on anti-Black...

Studies suggest shorter term racial diversity education is ineffective in changing police officers’ attitudes and behaviors, partly due to strong emotional reactions and resistance to this type of content ( Schlosser, 2013 ; Zimny, 2015 ). In this investigation, we explored across two studies whether police recruits’ racial beliefs were related to...

Studies commonly examine resilience as an outcome by way of measuring the degree to which protective factors maintain individuals' well-being despite the presence of significant risk. In this study, we developed a model of community resilience that centered the voices of Black youth. Using data collected as part of a 3-year, youth participatory act...

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a social movement. The video recording of the death of George Floyd represented a collective Encounter that spread across the United States and the globe via various social media platforms with startling immediacy. In this manuscript, the authors apply Nigrescence theory to the BLM protests of 2020. We argue that Nigresc...

There is a large body of research on the importance of addressing culture in psychotherapy. However, less is known about providing critically conscious and racially affirmative therapy for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) clients in the context of ongoing systemic racism and racism-related stress and trauma, especially in the sociopol...

Written against the backdrop of the 2020 twin pandemics of a global health crisis and greater national awareness of structural racism, this article issues a call for psychology to invest in training all psychologists to respond to the social ills of racial and other forms of oppression. We introduce a public psychology for liberation (PPL) training...

Preliminary evidence suggests that people and scholars of African and/or Latin American and Caribbean origin are often under-represented in mainstream attachment scholarship. In this commentary, we highlight the difficulty of conducting attachment theory research outside of the United States, particularly in Latin American countries. We reflect on...

Objectives: Recently, research has focused both on the influence of institutional racism and how the Global Majority, which includes Black, Indigenous and People of Color, heal from processes related to racial and other forms of oppression. We propose a framework of healing research methodologies that is situated within emerging diversity science t...

We investigated how ethnocultural empathy and colorblind racial beliefs were associated through the racial composition of close friendship groups in police recruits. In a sample of White police recruits in a midwestern training academy ( N = 192), mediation analyses revealed a significant association between ethnocultural empathy and colorblind rac...

In this study, we tested an integrated model of social justice behaviors among a community sample of 179 Asian American and White American adults. The integrated model builds on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and sociopolitical development theory (SPD). Findings from path analyses provided partial support for the integrated model. Specificall...

Racism plays a fundamental role in institutions, intergroup and interpersonal relations, and intrapersonal life. Although some areas of research in psychology have made progress toward addressing issues of race and racism, the discipline continues to grapple with questions of racial inequality. Given the persistence of racism, it seems as important...

Growing research supports the link between individual expressions of hope and psychological well‐being. In this paper, we draw on psychological theories of hope, racial and ethnic studies, and the literature on radical healing to propose a framework of radical hope. Although the proposed multidimensional framework integrates cultural practices of P...

As race and racism continue to be important subjects of research in psychology, guidelines for scholarship in this domain of inquiry are strongly needed. Drawing from the foundations of previous discussions of diversity science, we propose five principles that can help scholars conduct generative research on race and racism. Specifically, research...

Building on previous theory and research, we explored the associations among race, intergroup ideologies and emotional reactions to the killing of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman among 298 Black and White college students. We also examined the indirect effect of ethnocultural empathy on the links between race, intergroup ideolo...

Advancing beyond individual-level approaches to coping with racial trauma, we introduce a new psychological framework of radical healing for People of Color and Indigenous individuals (POCI) in the United States. We begin by providing a context of race and racism in the United States and its consequences for the overall well-being of POCI. We build...

Racial trauma, a form of race-based stress, refers to People of Color and Indigenous individuals' (POCI) reactions to dangerous events and real or perceived experiences of racial discrimination. Such experiences may include threats of harm and injury, humiliating and shaming events, and witnessing racial discrimination toward other POCI. Although s...

Black Women’s Liberatory Pedagogies is to the millennial generation what texts like But Some of Us are Brave (Hull, G. T., Scott, P. B., & Smith, B., All the women are white, all the blacks are men, but some of us are brave: Black women’s studies. Feminist Press, 1982) and Ain’t I a Woman (Hooks, B., Ain’t I a woman: Black women and feminism. South...

Presents an obituary of Joseph White (1932–2017), often called “the godfather of Black psychology.” During a distinguished 56-year career, White held many professional roles, perhaps none more profound than that of mentor. Additionally, White served as a (supervising) psychologist to five hospitals and three clinical practices. He served as chairma...

The purpose of the study was to examine the association between parents’ attitudes towards diversity and their young adult children’s intergroup experiences and attitudes. We surveyed a sample of non-Latino White, first-year university students (n = 154) and one of their parents (n = 154) at the start of the academic year; a subsample of these stud...

Objective: The current study was guided by Nigrescence theory (Cross, 1971, 1991) and explored the phenomenon of racial awakening or epiphanic experiences of Black adults. We were interested in describing the context and perceived outcomes of the epiphanies in participants’ understanding of what it means to be Black. Method: Sixty-four adults parti...

Extending the American Psychological Association (APA) report on the Sexualization of Girls, this study investigated how young women identified sources of coerced sex. Findings from three focus groups with 25 Black and White adolescent women uncovered a perceived overarching force that "pushed" them to have sex before they felt ready. Participants...

The current study integrated constructs from the fields of relationship science (i.e., similarity and familiarity) and intergroup research (i.e., racial ideologies, particularly color-blind racial ideology and multiculturalism) to explore interracial romantic attraction. Using a person-perception design, 124 Black (n = 62) and White (n =62) heteros...

Data suggest that having a positive, internalized racial identity is related to healthy outcomes. Although some scholars have highlighted the role of education in providing a context to develop such an identity, there is a dearth of research in this area. This study analyzed racial life narrative interviews with 15 Black South Africans to explore t...

In this manuscript, we take up a “critical friend” perspective on sociopolitical development (SPD), seeking to expand the field’s understanding of the collective, intersectional, and dialectic qualities and dimensions in which sociopolitical youth development might occur. Specifically, we contribute to thinking around how SPD is conceptualized and...

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of gendered racial microaggressions (i.e., subtle and everyday verbal, behavioral, and environmental expressions of oppression based on the intersection of one’s race and gender) experienced by Black women by applying an intersectionality framework to Essed’s (1991) theory of gendered racism and Su...

In this address, I honor my ancestors for their commitment to social justice. I pay tribute to my mentors and students who have inspired me to join with others to struggle for justice and liberation. I share stories of my journey and I encourage social justice mentors in counseling psychology to consider: (a) identifying core dimensions of social j...

The social science and education fields are increasingly looking to non-traditional pedagogical methods as a way to increase students’ awareness of social justice issues. Critical inquiry projects, human rights education, and service learning models are some of the theoretically grounded approaches that advocate for novel ways of increasing social...

Sense of belonging is a key aspect of racial and ethnic identity. Interestingly, there is little exploration of the multiple characteristics of belongingness within the racial and ethnic identity literature. Through individual interviews and a focus group, we explored the sense of racial-ethnic-cultural (REC) belonging among 19 self-identified Blac...

Building on the early work of Frantz Fanon, we explored the concept of recognition as an aspect of Black racial identity or the degree of being seen by others and ourselves as equal or morally worthy persons deserving respect. We collected 64 racial life narratives with self-identified Black adults in four contexts: Australia, Bermuda, South Africa...

Responds to comments made by Zuriff (see record 2014-13696-014), Locke (see record 2014-13696-015), Locascio (see record 2014-13696-016), and Banks (see record 2014-13696-017) on the original article by Neville et al., "Color-blind racial ideology: Theory, training, and measurement implications in psychology" (see record 2013-31242-001). The author...

In this longitudinal study, we explored how White students’ (N = 857) color-blind racial ideology (CBRI; i.e., beliefs that serve to deny, minimize, and/or distort the existence of racism) changed over time and the factors associated with these patterns of change. Specifically, we investigated whether gender, diversity attitudes (i.e., openness to...

The relations between type of sexual coercion (i.e., verbal, substance-facilitated, physical) and psychological and behavioral health were examined among Black (n = 107) and White (n = 114) young women. We also explored the moderating role of sexual stereotypes in understanding the relations between sexual coercion and health. Over half (53%) of th...

Synthesizing the interdisciplinary literature, we characterize color-blind racial ideology (CBRI) as consisting of two interrelated domains: color-evasion (i.e., denial of racial differences by emphasizing sameness) and power-evasion (i.e., denial of racism by emphasizing equal opportunities). Mounting empirical data suggest that the color-evasion...

The authors examined the association between living learning communities (LLCs) and undergraduates’ sense of community and belonging to their university and residence halls. LLC students scored higher on sense of belonging in residence, but not on campus, than did students in non-LLCs. Analysis of open- ended responses suggested that LLC students f...

The influence of religiosity and spirituality on psychological well-being was examined among a sample of 167 Black American women in this web-based study. Findings suggest direct links between both religiosity and spirituality and psychological well-being. Moreover, results from bootstrapping procedures indicated that spirituality fully mediated th...

The ecological model of racial socialization (EMRS) was tested among a sample of 207 Black college students from a predominately White Midwestern university. The EMRS explored the relations between the racial composition of participants' social contexts and racial socialization provided by both parent and peer sources. In addition, the model addres...

Historically, prevention in psychology has never been outright objectionable for mental health professionals. However, despite its acceptance, not enough practitioners engage in prevention and wellness promotion in their daily activities. The Oxford Handbook of Prevention in Counseling Psychology offers the foundational knowledge necessary to engag...

Prior quantitative research using the Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites scale (PCRW; Spanierman & Heppner, 2004) identified five racial affect types among White undergraduate students. To better understand the Antiracist type, the most racially aware and sensitive among the five types, the authors of the present study conducted two focus group...

We underscore the importance of this compilation in our response to the major contribution on the histories of the five major ethnic minority psychological associations (EMPAs). The description of the formation, mission, goals, and activities of the EMPAs will serve as a useful tool to educate counseling psychologists and other professionals about...

Rosie Phillips Bingham has contributed to the field of counseling psychology and the broader discipline of psychology in myriad ways. She is nationally recognized for her innovation, leadership skills, and fundraising capabilities. She is also known for her commitment to student development and her caring mentoring approach. In this life narrative,...

This special issue of the Journal of African American Studies is an interdisciplinary collection of original research manuscripts, which contextualize Black girls and women’s experiences from Black feminist perspectives. Naming and Reclaiming seeks to achieve several goals: (1) discuss and critique intersectionality and the complexities of Black gi...

This study examined the relationships between color-blind racial ideology (CBRI) and social justice attitudes among a racially diverse sample of first-year college students (n = 431). Results indicated that CBRI scores partially mediated the relation between participation in campus diversity experiences and social justice attitudes for Black, Latin...

The literature indicates that perceived racism tends to be associated with adverse psychological and physiological outcomes; however, findings in this area are not yet conclusive. In this meta-analysis, we systematically reviewed 66 studies (total sample size of 18,140 across studies), published between January 1996 and April 2011, on the associati...

We examined the link between color-blind racial ideology (CBRI; i.e., the belief that race and racism are irrelevant for the contemporary moment) and students' agreement with a university's decision to discontinue a controversial racialized mascot (i.e., “Chief Illiniwek”) among a sample of 389 racially diverse college students. Students also elabo...

Using Cross’s expanded Nigrescence theory, this study examined the relation between patterns of racial identity attitudes and mental health outcomes among a sample of 317 Black American college students. Racial identity attitudes were operationalized using the Cross Racial Identity Scale, and the mental health outcomes assessed included subjective...

Two models of affirmative action attitudes (i.e., group self-interest and racism beliefs) were examined among a sample of racially diverse college students. Open-ended questions were included to provide students an opportunity to elaborate on their beliefs about affirmative action and beliefs about the existence of racial discrimination. Findings f...

This article reports on the development and initial validation of the multidimensional Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale (MTCS). Data from 506 pre- and in-service teachers were collected in three interrelated studies. Exploratory factor analysis results suggested a 16-item, two-factor solution: (a) multicultural teaching skill and (b) multicu...

The authors articulate the need for a Counseling Psychology Model Training Values Statement Addressing Diversity (henceforth “Values Statement”). They discuss the historic unwillingness of the field to address values in a sophisticated or complex way and highlight the increasingly common training scenario in which trainees state that certain profes...

The authors examined the influence of participation in formal campus diversity experiences (e.g., courses and workshops) and interracial friendships on 2 specific democratic racial beliefs among a racially diverse sample of freshmen (N = 589). Using separate path analyses for each outcome, the authors examined the effects of diversity experiences a...

The relations between racial socialization and color-blind racial beliefs (i.e., the denial, distortion, or minimization of racism) among 153 Black American college students, including 34 college student-parent dyads, were examined. Findings from open-ended data indicate that participants identified receiving both protective (i.e., messages about t...

The empathic dispositions of 104 middle school students in a large Midwest urban city were examined. Students viewed an animated narrative vignette simulation (ANV) of a race-related aggression exchange in a classroom between fifth graders; they also completed open-ended questions about their empathic perceptions of the exchange in the ANV and a gl...

The authors examined the association between color-blind racial ideology and self-reported multicultural counseling competencies in 130 applied psychology students and mental health workers. Results from 1 sample (n= 79) indicated that greater levels of color-blind racial ideology as measured by the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (Neville, Lill...

In this account of a study of a Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) intervention in a preservice teacher classroom, the authors explore an alternative way of learning to teach, as well as the dynamics of interdisciplinary collaboration between Theater and Education. Measures of racial and political attitudes did not demonstrate any change in the preservi...

The modern civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s radically transformed practice and research in applied psychology, at least in terms of its understanding of race and racism. Rapid changes in psychology generally and in counseling psychology specifically occurred, and during this time we witnessed the formation of organizations to attend to...

The three core articles in the Scientific Forum engage in a similar process of self-examination of quantitative research issues and trends within counseling psychology. Two articles review 10 years of publication activity: one article provide a rank ordering of institutional research productivity from 1993 to 2002, and another review and critique t...

The relations between color-blind racial beliefs (i.e., denial and distortion of the existence of racism) and dimensions of PFC (i.e., false beliefs that serve to work against one’s individual or group interest) among 211 African Americans was investigated. Findings indicated that greater endorsement of color-blind racial beliefs was related to the...

Preparing pre-service teachers to negotiate the complexities of professional practice and to provide meaningful educational experiences for PK-12 students requires teacher educators to assist education students in developing a multicultural knowledge base. Such knowledge is essential to understanding the diverse nature of school environments and th...

Grounded in a culturally inclusive ecological model of sexual assault recovery framework, the influence of personal (e.g., prior victimization), rape context (e.g., degree of injury during last assault), and postrape response factors (e.g., general and cultural attributions, rape related coping) on self-esteem of Black and White college women, who...

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a culturally relevant rape myth acceptance scale for Koreans. Three studies on the Korean Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (KRMAS) with approximately 1,000 observations provide initial validity and reliability. Specifically, results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses support four subscales:...

Two hundred sixty African American college students attending predominantly White institutions completed the Black Student Stress Inventory (BSSI) and a measure of psychological adjustment; academic performance indices on a subsample were obtained via archival records. Principal components analysis of the BSSI yielded a three-factor solution: race-...

We investigated a process-oriented model of mentoring using data on 50 relationships in a Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Data were collected on a monthly basis from both mentors and youth over a one-year period; relationship benefits for youth were assessed at the end of the year by each type of informant. The degree to which relationships were...

Mentoring programs are effective only when mentors become significant adults in the lives of youth. Mentors who achieve this status provide support that helps youth develop important psychological and behavioral assets, such as self-esteem and the ability to cope, thus promoting healthy adjustment. These processes are evident in findings of an eval...

The five articles comprising the Major Contribution in this issue are synthesized and serve as the foundation of an ecological model for contextualizing multicultural counseling psychology processes. Specifically, the proposed contextual model outlines the recursive influence of individual and systemic factors on multiple subsystems (i.e., macrosys...

The purpose of this study was to explore Black adolescent girls' perceptions of self-reported delinquent behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Black girls enrolled in alternative schools designated for “delinquent” adolescents. Using dimensional analysis, two general categories emerged from the data: defending/protecting self...

182 African American college students (aged 17–39 yrs old) completed the Racial Identity Attitudes Scale and The Brief Symptom Inventory, a widely used instrument designed to assess psychological distress in 9 domains: Somatization, Obsessive-Compulsiveness, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Hostility, Phobia, Paranoid Ideation, and P...

The purpose of this study was to examine general and cultural factors associated with body image perceptions of African American women college students. A total of 124 African American college women attending a historically Black college completed the following scales: African Self-Consciousness (ASC) scale, the Skin Color Satisfaction Scale (SCSS)...

Building on the work of G. Uswatte and I. R. Elliott (see record 1997-04811-005) and recent rehabilitation counseling theoretical writings (e.g., D. B. Hershenson, 1998), a culturally inclusive ecological model of spinal cord injury adaptation is proposed. The purpose of the model is to integrate and extend existing literature to better examine fa...

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a conceptually grounded scale to assess cognitive aspects of color-blind racial attitudes. Five studies on the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) with over 1,100 observations provide initial reliability and validity data. Specifically, results from an exploratory factor analysis suggest a 3-...

Consistent evidence demonstrates that many women who encounter the trauma of rape experience a range of both acute reactions and chronic psychological sequelae. This article reviews both the short- and long-term psychological adjustment issues associated with rape. In addition, we propose a culturally inclusive ecological model of sexual assault re...

Responds to comments by M. D'Andrea and J. Daniels, D. Roediger, and C. Ridley and C. Hill (see record 1999-10197-002, 1999-10197-003, and 1999-10197-004, respectively) on the original article regarding multiple levels of racism and mental health by Thompson and Neville (see record 1999-10197-001). The authors elaborate on Ridley and Hill's con...

In this article, the authors present an interdisciplinary discussion of the multiple dimensions of racism and formulate conceptions of its impact on the formation of healthy personalities. They describe how racism has both ideological and structural components and perpetuates itself recursively at the macro-(e.g., group, institution) and microlevel...

The authors investigated the short- and long-term (5-month) effectiveness of a theoretically driven, programmatic rape prevention intervention on a sample of primarily White and Black college men. A racially diverse sample was included, and the potential effectiveness of both a culturally relevant and a traditional "colorblind" intervention was ass...

Our Participation in the Black Radical Congress (BRC) and in particular the debate and discussion occurring within its Black Feminist Caucus (BFC) led us to rethink and redevelop the concept of Revolutionary Feminism. Discussions with other black feminists at the Congress led us to conclude that much work is needed to further develop the relationsh...

Although there have been numerous appeals for such research in the professional literature, this study was the first to empirically investigate individual difference variables influencing vocational identity and hope in setting and achieving goals in African American college students. One-hundred twenty-two African American college students attendi...

PIP This exploratory study investigates general and culture-specific factors influencing African American women's post-sexual assault behaviors in the US. Included in the study were 29 African American sexual assault survivors who completed a paper-and-pencil survey and a semistructural interview. Findings suggest that both general and culture-spec...

This research examined associations among characteristics of relationships formed in two community-based mentoring programs and their linkages with ratings of perceived benefits for youth. Volunteer mentors in a Big Brothers/Big Sisters program completed a questionnaire on a monthly basis for a period of six months, whereas undergraduate students s...

Examined relations among racial identity attitudes and (a) both general and culture-specific stressors and (b) problem-focused coping styles. 90 African American college students (aged 17–39 yrs) at a predominantly White university completed the Black Racial Identity Attitudes Scale, Black Student Stress Inventory, Problem Solving Inventory, and Pr...

More attention has recently focused on the psychological experiences of women survivors of sexual assault. However, little work has examined the experiences of African American women survivors, particularly with regard to the impact of race and class on survivors' experiences. We address these limitations by presenting a socio-historical analysis o...