Psychology is on the mind for the new Black Psychology Society.
The newly established Black Psychology Society aims to expand exposure to psychology and mental wellness while fostering community, education and professional development for Black students at UCLA. The organization was founded in January by Ryen Clark, a fourth-year psychology student who now serves as the club’s president. Clark said she wanted to make a difference in her community and hoped Black students could engage with psychology in a healthy way, with the resources to take care of themselves mentally.
“There needs to be more when I graduate,” Clark said. “I need a club or something to continue this legacy of people actually taking care of themselves and understanding how to do that.”
This goal to leave a legacy proves true in the board of the society, Clark said. The leadership team of the society spans from first-year to fourth-year students, including Amariah Scott – a third-year psychology student who acts as the outreach and communications director. Scott said her work with the Black Psychology Society has shown her she is meant to be a psychology major and that she has a place here at UCLA.
“When we had the first GBM (general board meeting), seeing the amount of people that came and the amount of excitement was a full circle moment,” Scott said. “I see how much support we can give to the community.”
The student organization hosts various events throughout the academic year, including mental health and wellness events. This past February, for example, the society hosted a community circle in collaboration with both the Afrikan Womxn’s Collective and Afrikan Mxn’s Collective at UCLA. The event served as an opportunity for students to discuss and destigmatize how mental health and psychology is viewed within the Black community, Scott said. Although newly formed, Black Psychology Society has planned various events to engage with the UCLA community – such as its “Touching Grass” event, Scott said.
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Beyond mental wellness, the society also plans to host academic and professional events, said Tajinia Magee, a fourth-year philosophy and psychology student who serves as the research and education programming lead for the Black Psychology Society. Magee said programs will allow current students to develop potential research questions and present them to Black graduate students, helping undergraduates gain research experience and engage more directly with the research process.
“We want to impact people in a beautiful way,” Clark said. “We want to see that impact go greater than just our small circle and community, but to the greater UCLA campus.”
While the organization centers Black students in psychology, its mission extends to creating spaces and resources for the entire UCLA student body, Clark said. She added that she hopes through the Black Psychology Society, students can fully realize their individual worth.
Scott said members who have attended events said the community circle allowed them to engage in open conversations about mental health and reflect on their personal experiences in a supportive environment. Michael Atkins, a fourth-year psychology and sociology student who serves as the mentorship and advising liaison, said his experience with the Black Psychology Society has made him more grateful for his time at UCLA and the opportunities he has been given.
“It’s (Black Psychology Society) made me more grateful for the opportunities I’ve had here on campus during my four years,” Atkins said. “Undergoing this opportunity within my last year has made me reflect on some of my experiences. … It’s made me grateful and realize that it’s never really too late to take that step and be active on campus.”
The Black Psychology Society aims to normalize discussion around mental health while also eliminating gaps in access to opportunities within the psychology field, Magee added. By broadening the focus beyond one group of students, the society aims to contribute to a more inclusive campus environment where support is more visible, approachable and any student who’s curious about psychology has everything they need to feel heard and seen, Clark said.
The mission of the Black Psychology Society is to create a safe, inclusive space for students from all backgrounds to comfortably discuss their mental health and well-being, Atkins said. He added that connecting students to research resources and opportunities that support their academic and professional goals – including post-graduate education and careers – is important. As the organization continues to grow, the club hopes to continue providing professional opportunities and hopefully expand to other communities as well, Magee said.
“I feel like it’s important to have a space where there’s people you can relate to and people that you can also grow with,” Magee said. “We grow together, our mindsets change together, we help each other. We’re all resources for one another.”
