Shalonda Kelly

Ph.D., Michigan State University

Shalonda Kelly edited Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy, designed to increase readers' cultural competence in working with diverse couples and families. The book also presents her model for how cultural competence bridges differences within couples and families and between family members and therapists. Her research has received National Institutes of Health and Rutgers University funding to understand and measure how African Americans and other people of color are affected by experiences of racism and oppression, and how racial and cultural perspectives are associated with individual and couple adjustment. She teaches couple therapy and diversity courses. Dr. Kelly also is a licensed psychologist who conducts and supervises evidence-based couple, family, and individual therapy from cognitive-behavioral or emotionally-focused orientations. She also adheres to systems and multicultural orientations, which led her to develop a principle-based approach to integrating multiple theoretical orientations. Dr. Kelly's urban-studies background enriches her consultations and workshops with professionals and organizations toward better understanding the needs of ethnic minority clients. She received diversity awards from APA's Division 43 and from the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, and was named a Leader in Diversity at Rutgers.