Spotlight on: Jerrod Handy-Robinson, Psy.D., MSCP, MS, MA

“When I started my training to become a psychologist and later prescribing psychologist, I quickly realized that a lot of the information and knowledge in the field was often taught from a perspective that didn’t necessarily fit every client’s background. As a result, I found a lot of clients from minority backgrounds were often marginalized, stigmatized, and/or misdiagnosed.

I am often reminded what it means to be who I am and in the space that I occupy. It doesn’t mean that I have the same experiences as my clients just because I’m Black or gay, but it does mean that clients who have similar intersecting identities are afforded a chance to feel inherent safety and trust in that my approach to their healthcare will have the unique lens that it deserves.

I’ve tasked myself with taking the knowledge I’ve accumulated about clinical psychology/psychopharmacology and contextualizing it based on my clients’ uniqueness and their lived experiences. This foundational tenet continues to be the driving force in my practice and in providing care for the LBGTQIA2S+ community.”