Division VII: Diversity & Social Justice Division of CPA

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Division VII: Diversity & Social Justice Division of CPA

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The Diversity & Social Justice Division focuses on advancing diversity & social justice in California

10/14/2026

Division VII has another wonderful speaker coming up in our speaker series. We'd love to have you join. Details are below.

CE Speaker: Jennifer Noble, Ph.D. (she/her)

CE Title: "Making Space for Complexity: Inclusive Therapy for Mixed Race Clients"

CE Day/Time: Nov 17th from 12pm-1:30pm PT on zoom

CE Description: This presentation explores the experiences of mixed race youth & adults, their identity development, and the mental health impact of marginalization. Using critical mixed race theory, you will recognize microaggressions' influence on presenting problems and learn practical strategies to address them, fostering a more inclusive practice. Gain important insights bridging research and clinical application to better serve multiracial clients.

Bio: Dr. Jennifer Noble (she/her) is a licensed psychologist, speaker, and founder of Free to Be Collective. For over 25 years, she has advocated for mixed race communities, specializing in identity development, teens, and marginalized populations. She trains clinicians and educators to deepen understanding of mixed race populations, provides psychotherapy and conducts parent education.

Cost:
Division VII Member: FREE
CPA Member: $35
CPAGS Member: $15
Non-Member: $50

Registration link: bit.ly/CPANoble

We hope to e-see you there!

10/06/2026

After seeing how much fun we have as a board, we do have some Division VII board positions opening this year for those interested in joining and supporting continued focus on social justice and DEI topics at both CPA and in the profession.

The following positions are open:

Chair-Elect (2027 --> Chair 2028 --> Past Chair 2029):
The Chair is the general supervisor of the Division, driving the goals for their year; they preside over all board meetings and serve as ex-officio on standing committees.

Membership Chair (2-year term 2027-2028):
The Membership Chair works with the Division with the general goal of increasing membership. The Membership Chair sends an email of welcome to new members, and ensures that new members are added to any mailing/email lists or listserv, and contacts non-renewing members to encourage renewal. The Membership Chair reports periodically to the Division Board the number of members and is also responsible for communication with members and potential members through social media platforms and coordinates marketing and publicity of events for the Division.

Secretary (2-year term 2027-2028):
The Secretary takes minutes of the Board meetings and meetings of the
general membership. They also shall serve as the custodian of Division records and communicate the business of the Board to the general membership . The Secretary mails or emails minutes of the Board meetings to the Chair for approval, then, after approval, to all Board members no later than three weeks after the meeting.

CPAGS Representative (NorCal and SoCal reps):
The CPAGS Representatives serve as advocates for the interests of
student members and shall communicate the interests and concerns of the Division to the student membership. The CPAGS Representatives have full voting privileges. One student to represent Northern California students and another to represent Southern California students is required.

If you are interested in any of these positions, submit your letter of interest and your CV to [email protected]

DUE: October 26, 2026 by 11:59pm PST

You MUST be a member of CPA and Division VII to apply.

We hope to hear from YOU!

10/04/2026

Take us back to last weekend when we at the 2026 CPA Convention in Sacramento . Division 7 kicked off the events with our Diversity Institute on "Feminist LGBTQ-Affirming Psychotherapy, S*x Therapy, and Clinical Supervision in the Modern Age" - a little something for everyone.

Our Diversity Mixer with was a hit and the swag flew off the table. The social scavenger hunt was a blast and psychologists from all over California who are committed to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion connected.

Saturday night was a blast with lots to learn during the day, and the President's Party with division awards. Division VII was so excited to personally give out our awards. Jei Africa, PsyD was presented with the Outstanding Service to Division VII award. Our own Chair-Elect Franca Niameh, PsyD, MSCP won the Distinguished Contribution to Community Service award. And the outstanding Jared Boot-Haury, PsyD, ABPP was given the Douglas C. Haldeman Excellence in Advocacy Award. We then danced and mingled the night away.

Shout out to President Cindy Lin, PsyD for being such a ally of Division VII in your work with the Bay Area Psychological Association.

Wish we could go back and see all these smiling faces again. There's always next year in SAN DIEGO!!

10/03/2026

Introducing the newest member to our board that has made a big impact. Fola Okeyemi, M.A. is our second CPAGS representative joining us from the Sacramento area.

Fola has jumped right in to helping support Division VII with our initiatives for the upcoming CPA Conference and sharing her grounded and wise voice to our meeting.

Throw Fola a hello 👋🏽 in the chat!

09/26/2026

Our CPA Division I and VII was a great success! Thank you to all that attended. Items so wonderful to connect with our Division VII members that homd dear the same message of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice that is the heart of our Division. And it’s so fun to get to see all of you from throughout California in person.
CA Psychological Association CPA Division I

09/07/2026

Ryan Lee is one of the fabulous California Psychological Association Graduate Student (CPAGS) representatives that serves on our board and helps Division VII keep in mind the many students whose voices we want to amplify in California.

To all the students reading this in California - participating on the Division VII board as a student representative is a great way to get involved, advocate for your fellow student's needs, and connect to the larger psychological community you are a part of. The role will be open in the next year or two....

09/05/2026

More motivation to be a member of CPA Division VII -

If you are attending the CPA Conference in Sacramento later this month, we hope you can come to our Diversity Mixer (Co-sponsored by Division I and Division VII) on Friday, September 25, 2026 6:30pm - 8:30pm at the Hyatt Regency Pool Deck.

We hope you can attend this members-only event (for members of Division 1 or Division 7 only) to connect with and meet other individuals in your field that are also passionate about Diversity and Social Justice.
We'll be offering complimentary food and drinks as well as some fun and prizes.

Space is limited so please make sure you register!

08/20/2026

Please join us in congratulating the Division VII 2026 Student Scholarship winners. 🎉

We had an amazing group of almost 50 students apply between the two awards. Below are the winners as voted on by the 2026 Division VII Board of Directors.

🏆Our first award is the 2026 Student Convention Scholarship. Established by Division VII's 2024 Chair Dr. Tanisha Thelemaque, this award recognizes a student who is passionate about psychological research, utilizes practices that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and who could use funding assistance in attending this year's CPA Convention.

This award was given to Arteshni Devi, a PhD student at Alliant University who is presenting her poster, “Navigating Tridimensional Acculturation and Stress Among Indo-Fijian Immigrants in the U.S.A.” at the 2026 CPA Convention.

With the support of CPA Division I, the 2026 Student DEI Award 🏆 was able to be given to SIX students. Established by our Past Chair Dr. Harpreet Malla last year in response to the American Psychological Association's accreditation board suspending their DEI requirements, this award recognizes psychology graduate students who exemplify the mission of Division VII: to advance the vision of CPA by increasing diversity within the profession, providing resources on diversity for the CPA membership and the public, and promoting a social justice perspective within psychology and their own life experience.

Lydia Cho: PhD Student at Biola University

Alejandro Fernandez: PsyD Student at The Wright Institute

Valencia Lagbo: PhD Student at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Nsa Ntuk: PsyD Student Alliant University

Mayowa Ogunmakinwa: PsyD Student at The Wright Institute

Jean Pauline Serrano: PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara

Thank you to all the amazing students who applied. We hope to see you all at the CPA Conference in Sacramento in September.

08/19/2026

We're very excited about the CPA Convention in Sacramento and want to give a special shout out to the Thursday Pre-Convention Diversity Institute, which is organized by Division VII. We encourage you to attend this forward-thinking live presentation to help build your cultural competence and humility and inform your practice as therapists, supervisors, and educators.

Thursday Pre-Convention
Diversity Institute
"Feminist LGBTQ-Affirming Psychotherapy, S*x Therapy, and Clinical Supervision in the Modern Age"
Thu, Sep 24th, 2026
1:30 pm - 5:50 pm (4 CE credits)
bit.ly/CPAdiversity

This course will dive into modern feminist and LGBTQ-affirming psychotherapy, s*x therapy, and clinical supervision for clinicians working with diverse clients and trainees.

Presenters:

Mimi Hoang, Ph.D. (she/her)
Division VII Chair
“S*x-Positive and Body Positive Psychotherapy through an Intersectional Gender and S*xual Liberation Lens” (80 min)

Harpreet Malla, Ph.D. (she/they)
Division VII Past Chair
“Queer & Neurodiverse-Affirming S*xual Health & Wellness” (80 min)

Franca Niameh, Psy.D., MSCP (she/her)
Division VII Chair-Elect
"Closing & Integration: From Awareness to Application: LGBTQ+ Affirming Clinical Supervision Skills for Working Across Gender and S*xual Diversity" (80 min)

More convention info at: cpapsych.org/page/24

We hope to see you at the Diversity Institute!

08/16/2026

Meet yours truly - the writer of most of these posts; the Membership Chair of Division VII.

A little bit about me:

Leryn Messori, PsyD, graduated from Antioch University Santa Barbara and currently works at The Wise Mind Institute as the Director of Operations, a Supervisor, and a Staff Psychologist. Leryn has been on the board of the Alameda County Psychological Association (ACPA) as President and other roles for the past 5 years and spearheaded ACPA walking in Oakland Pride for the first time last year. This is her second year as the Membership Chair of CPA Division VII. Leryn loves crafting, reading horror novels, supporting her LGBTQ+ community, and playing with her two kids.

Address

1231 I Street #204
Sacramento, CA
95814

Website

https://www.cpapsych.org/page/83

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