Beverly Greene (psychologist) facts for kids

Beverly Greene (born 1950) is a professor and a clinical psychologist. She teaches at St. John's University. Dr. Greene is famous for her work on how different parts of a person's identity, like their gender or race, connect. She studies how sexism (unfair treatment based on gender) and racism (unfair treatment based on race) affect people.

Dr. Greene is an expert in the psychology of women. She also focuses on gender and racial issues in therapy. She has created ways to understand mental health in groups of people who are often treated unfairly. Dr. Greene has written nearly 100 articles and books about psychology. She is also involved with important groups like the Association for Women in Psychology. In 2008, she received a special award from this association.

About Beverly Greene

Her Early Life

Beverly Greene was born in 1950 in East Orange, New Jersey. She is the oldest of four children. Her parents, Samuel and Thelma Greene, grew up in the South. Her father was a carpenter. Her mother finished high school and worked with children who had disabilities. Her grandmother, aunts, and uncles also lived with her family. Beverly Greene says her parents taught her to understand and speak up about racism.

Her Education and Health

Dr. Greene earned her first college degree from New York University in 1973. Later, she started a program at Marquette University. However, she had to leave her classes because she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She had surgery to remove it.

She then went on to get her master's degree in 1977. She also earned her doctorate (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology in 1983. Both degrees were from Adelphi University. She was one of only five students of color in her graduating class. During her studies, she worked at Kings County Municipal Hospital. Her mentor, Dorothy Gartner, encouraged her to teach courses to other students.

Her Career in Psychology

Working as a Psychologist

Dr. Greene's first job was as a psychologist for the New York City Board of Education. In 1982, she started working at Kings County Municipal Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Most of the staff there were white. Many of the children she helped were poor African American children.

Since 1984, Dr. Greene has also had her own therapy practice. She continues to help people at her clinic and teach at St. John's University. She credits her supervisor, William Johnson, for her success. He taught her how important it is to understand different cultures when helping people.

Teaching Psychology

While working at Kings County Hospital in 1991, Dr. Greene was mentored by Dorothy Gartner. Ms. Gartner encouraged her to create courses for her colleagues. These courses taught them how to help minority populations. This is where Dr. Greene first became interested in teaching and writing about therapy and cultural differences.

Dr. Greene continued her teaching career at St. John's University in Queens. She became the first African American professor to earn tenure there in 1995.

Research and Writing

Dr. Greene began writing about her courses when she worked at Kings County Hospital. She wrote about her seminars on therapy for African American and LGBTQIA+ communities. She also developed ways to improve public health in feminist psychology.

She has written almost 100 articles and 11 books. She has also given hundreds of presentations. Dr. Greene has received over 27 national awards for her work. She was also named a founding co-editor for a journal at St. John's Institute.

Helping Non-Profits

While working at the hospital, Dr. Greene also became involved with the American Psychological Association (APA). She was a founding member of one of the APA's divisions. She also worked with the Association for Women.

Her Important Research

Dr. Greene's research often focuses on the psychology of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. She also studies feminism. Her main idea is that a person's identity is complex. She believes people should not be treated unfairly because of their race, gender, or sexual orientation. Her work helps therapists understand how sexism and racism affect people.

Understanding Sexism

Dr. Greene looks at how sexism and racism have affected women of color throughout history. She explains that unfair treatment can feel different for different people. She believes that social inequalities based on gender can cause stress and sadness for women. She argues that gender, race, and sexual orientation all combine to shape the unfair treatment women of color face every day.

Dr. Greene suggests that therapists working with people of color, especially African-American women, should listen carefully. They should not quickly dismiss complaints about racism and sexism. Ignoring these issues can make a person's distress worse.

Understanding Racism

A big part of Dr. Greene's work is about how to include race awareness in therapy. She says that racism is a type of trauma. However, she believes it cannot be understood using only the PTSD model. Instead, she says therapists need to understand racism through each person's unique experience.

Dr. Greene believes there is no single plan for dealing with racism in therapy. She thinks understanding a person's identity, history, and family helps therapists find the best ways to help. She often talks about how important it is for therapists to be culturally aware. They should also be willing to admit what they don't know.

Dr. Greene's work often focuses on the first part of therapy. This is when the therapist learns about a person's experiences with racism and their connection to their own race. In one of her articles, she gives four ways to improve this process:

• First, understand a person's relationship with the main culture.
• Second, understand their relationship with their own culture.
• Third, understand their relationships at both a personal and group level.
• Lastly, understand how the person sees their own identity.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Greene has received many awards for her important work:

• In 1995 and 2010, she won the Women of Color Psychologies Publication Award. This was from the Association for Women in Psychology.
• In 2008, she received the Distinguished Publication Award (DPA) from the Association for Women in Psychology.
• The American Psychological Association gave her the Outstanding Achievement Award in 1995.
• In 2000, she received the Heritage Award from the American Psychological Association.
• The National Multicultural Conference and Summit gave her the Dalmas Taylor Award in 2007.
• In 2011 and 2013, Dr. Greene received the American Psychological Association Presidential Citation Award.