Beverly Greene (psychologist)

Greene was born in 1950, in East Orange, New Jersey. Greene is the oldest of 4 children: Sandra, Samuel and Lawrence. Her parents are Samuel and Thelma Greene.[1] Both parents were raised in the South, and her father worked as a carpenter and left school in the 8th grade. Her mother finished high school, and eventually worked in a public school with disabled children. Her grandmother, aunts and uncles also lived with her family.[2] Beverly Greene attributes her parents for instilling in her a critical awareness of racism.[3]

Greene earned her undergraduate degree at New York University in 1973.[2] After being denied from Derner the first time she applied, Greene attended the doctoral program in educational psychology at Marquette University before she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. Later, Greene found out she had a second tumor that required extensive surgery to remove the growth. This resulted in Greene withdrawing from her classes.[2]

She continued on to complete both her masters (1977) and doctorate (1983) in clinical psychology at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University, being one of the only five students of color when she graduated in 1983.[2] During her doctorate, Greene worked at Kings County Municipal Hospital Inpatient Child Psychiatry Division in Brooklyn.[4] Her mentor, Dorothy Gartner, encouraged Greene to teach courses to other interns.[2]

Greene's first job was working for the New York City Board of Education as a psychologist.[2] Later, in 1982, Greene started working at the Inpatient Child Psychiatry Division at Kings County Municipal Hospital in Brooklyn, New York where much of the staff was predominantly white. Many of the clients she served were poor African American children.[2]

Greene has also owned her own therapeutic practice since 1984. As of 2019, she is still practicing clinical psychology at her clinic and teaching at St. Johns University.[3] Greene attributes her therapeutic success to her supervisor, William Johnson. Through him, Greene learned about the importance of ingraining cultural awareness into the therapeutic approach. She also credits Johnson heavily for her writing on the uses of psychodynamic approaches to psychotherapy.[2]

When working in the Inpatient Child Psychiatry Division at Kings County in 1991, Greene was mentored by Chief Psychologist Dorothy Gartner. Garter encouraged Greene develop courses for her coworkers on how to treat and serve the minority population. It was here that she first became interested in teaching and writing on the topic of psychotherapy and cultural diversity.[2]

Greene continued her teaching career at St. John's University in Queens. Greene attributes her success in this position to the encouragement she received from department chair Jeffery Fagen and Dean David O'Connell.[2] She was the first tenured professor that was African American when she graduated in 1995.[2]

Greene began writing about her courses when working at the Inpatient Child Psychiatry Division in Brooklyn. While she was working under Chief Psychologist Dorothy Gartner and teaching courses to her coworkers, she began writing about her seminars. Greene credits her superior and other colleagues on their encouragement for her to write on the topic of psychotherapy in marginalized African American, LGBTQIA+ communities and develop inclusive public health frameworks in feminist psychology.[1]

Currently, she is the author of almost 100 publications, hundreds of professional presentations, and 11 books, with one as recent as 2013.[2] Greene has also been awarded over 27 national awards.[2]

When working at the Inpatient Child Psychiatry Division, Greene also became involved in the American Psychological Association, APA’S Division 35,[1] and the Association for Women. Greene was also a founding member of APA's Division 44 while involved with APA.[1]

Greene analyzes the interaction between sexism and the history of racism to acknowledge the effects on women of color. She notes that women's experiences of oppression are not inherently hierarchical, but rather may differ phenomenologically. Greene believes that women live their lives shaped by gender-based social inequalities causing psychological conflicts and demoralization from the unequal social position. She argues that the convergence of gender, race, and sexual orientation shapes the social inequality women of color endure day-to-day.[6]

Greene suggests clinicians working with people of color, specifically African-American women, should take precautions to not prematurely dismiss complaints about racist and sexist discrimination. Such responses can minimize the client's distress and cause further issues.[6]

A large portion of Greene's work unpacks the complexities of incorporating race-awareness into the therapeutic process. Greene asserts that racism is a trauma, but one that cannot be understood through the PTSD model. Instead, she asserts that racism needs to be perceived through the lens of the individual during the therapeutic process. Greene does not believe that there is one therapeutic blueprint to use for racism during therapy and instead believes that understanding an individual's identity, history, and family will inform the therapist on the best treatment methods. Greene often cites the importance of training therapists to be culturally-aware and capable of embracing their own ignorance and gaps in knowledge.[7]

Greene's work focuses mainly on the therapeutic assessment period during which the therapist begins to understand the individual's experience with racism and relationship to their own race. In Greene's article, "African American Lesbian and Bisexual Women",[8] Greene gives four specific methods to enhance this process. First, to unpack the individual's relationship with the dominant culture. Second, to unpack the individual's relationship with their own culture. Third, to understand the individual's relationships on both an individual and institutional level. Lastly, Greene cites the importance of understanding how the individual perceives their own identity.[8]

Greene et al. (2013) presents a resource for mental health practitioners in the Psychologist’s Desk Reference. The authors consider many dimensions to advise psychologists in their day-to-day practice. Unlike many of Greene's other work, this book serves as a blueprint for clinical practitioners, and is less theoretical than many of her other works.[9]

• Beverly Greene; John C Norcross; Gerald P Koocher co-editors, Psychologists Desk Reference, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN 9780199845491

This book unpacks the complexities of the Jewish identity, and the tools that therapists can use to better support their Jewish clients. The book focuses largely on the importance of family and personal identity. Similar to Greene's other work, the book attempts to construct models for better understanding the individual, rather than the collective group.[10]

• Greene, Beverly, and Dorith Brodbar. A Minyan of Women: Family Dynamics, Jewish Identity and Psychotherapy Practice. London: Routledge, 2011. ISBN 9781315874708

Lesbian and Gay psychology explores a variety of studies including parenthood as a gay/lesbian person, the development of sexuality and gay/lesbian relationships, and self-esteem relating to sexuality. The book is meant to serve as an aid for social service practitioners as it serves as a lens for understanding gay men and lesbian women holistically during the therapeutic process.[11]

• Greene, Beverly, and Gregory M. Herek, co-eds.  Lesbian and Gay Psychology: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications. Newbury Park (CA): Sage, 1994.  ISBN 9780803953123

• Greene, B.  (1985).  Considerations in the treatment of Black patients by white therapists. Psychotherapy,22,389-393.
• Greene, B.  (1993).  Human diversity in clinical psychology: Lesbian and gay sexual orientations. The Clinical Psychologist: Publication of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association,46,2,74-82.
• Greene, B. (2005, Dec.).  Psychology, Cultural Diversity & Social Justice: Beyond heterosexism and across the cultural divide. Invited paper. Journal of Counseling Psychology Quarterly,18,4,295-306.
• Greene, B. (2011). From Slave to Midwife: Healing in the Midst of Social Injustice. In L. Comas-Diaz & Weiner, M. B. (Eds.), Women Psychotherapists: Journeys in Healing(pp. 57–72). New York: Jason Aronson.