{"id":7756,"date":"2016-10-26T11:06:22","date_gmt":"2016-10-26T16:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.thechicagoschool.edu\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T15:40:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T21:40:06","slug":"carrying-the-torch-for-black-psychologists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/community\/carrying-the-torch-for-black-psychologists\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrying the torch for black psychologists"},"content":{"rendered":"

A black kid attending a predominantly white, middle class Miami elementary school, Jarvis Sams didn\u2019t think much about his race when he was growing up. His mother was a second grade teacher and worked hard to give him everything he needed to succeed. But as he matured and began to observe the dynamics of the world around him, he recognized the injustices it presented for young men of color.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the mid-1970s and I began to realize there were a lot of things going on. Roots <\/em>(miniseries) aired, and that opened my eyes as a young black fellow,\u201d explains Sams, who earned a master\u2019s degree in Clinical Psychology<\/a>\u00a0from The Chicago School in 2013 and is now pursuing a Psy.D. in the Marital and Family Therapy<\/a>\u00a0(MFT) program. \u201cEven then, I was already thinking about how we can fix it. Little did I know then that\u2019s what a psychologist could do.\u201d<\/p>\n

A\u00a0major turning point came about a decade ago when he and his wife were seeking marital counseling in Los Angeles.\u00a0\u201cI said to my wife if you can find a black male therapist, I\u2019ll go. We eventually found one, but it did take us some time. That was my inspiration to change my life,\u201d says Sams. \u201cI was never a psychology major but this raised a critical question: Why there weren\u2019t enough black men in this? We could make a profound impact on our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having a profound impact<\/h3>\n

Today, Sams\u00a0is on track to make the impact he envisioned with underserved and underrepresented families.\u00a0Since coming to The Chicago School, he has had opportunities to work as a MFT intern in a private practice and as a therapeutic behavioral services specialist and unit director for Phoenix House<\/a>, specifically working with substance abuse challenged adolescents.<\/p>\n

One of his more poignant moments during that time was an experience he had with a young black girl at a group home where he was doing an internship. The girl had been diagnosed as bipolar, and was being heavily medicated as part of the treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat raised a lot of eyebrows for me and quite frankly, it concerned me because it seemed like they were drugging this person and not really trying to help her,\u201d explains Sams, who realized during treatment that the girl was suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and helped to make sure she got the right medication. \u201cShe soon left the facility and went back to live with her mother. Her mother later called and said, \u2018Thank you. My daughter is my daughter again.\u2019 A lot of times, young African-American kids get labeled and misdiagnosed because people don\u2019t take the time to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was never a psychology major but this raised a critical question: Why there weren\u2019t enough black men in this? We could make a profound impact on our community.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sams not only listened; he intervened and changed the future of that young woman.<\/p>\n

Empowering a community<\/h3>\n

\u201cI feel empowered. Like I\u2019m really being an asset to my community,\u201d Sams says, reflecting on\u00a0why having more black psychologists in America is so important. \u201cPsychology itself was once used as a tool to enslave people, not help them. For me to be a black psychologist, I can change the narrative for the people that I care about and give them the opportunity to be better, and be supported, and be loved, and be upheld.\u201d<\/p>\n

He expresses gratitude to The Chicago School for giving him that opportunity, and for giving him the kind of nurturing educational environment that did not exist in the time of Dr. Joseph L. White<\/a>, the \u201cgodfather of black psychology\u201d and one of his role models.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think The Chicago School is amazing,\u201d says Sams, who was also the chair elect for The Association of Black Psychologists Student Circle<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for the school and grateful for Dr. (Michele) Nealon. I\u2019m an older student and realized that I needed all the help I could possibly get. They were there for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a work study position in the registrar\u2019s office for The Chicago School\u2019s L.A. campus and a recent appointment as an adjunct professor at Pacific Oaks College & Children\u2019s School<\/a>, Sams is already on his way to promising career in psychology on many levels. But he says this calling is about more than his own professional success.<\/p>\n

“For me to be a black psychologist, I can change the narrative for the people that I care about and give them the opportunity to be better, and be supported, and be loved, and be upheld.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like Dr. White, he wants to continue to enhance and support the need for more African-centered education programs, specifically in psychology. So in addition to multiple jobs and a rigorous doctoral course schedule at The Chicago School, Sams says he\u2019s also been serving as a The Chicago School ambassador at historically black colleges and universities like his alma mater in Florida to help recruit more black psychology students at The Chicago School.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born for this reason is the way I look at it,\u201d he explains. \u201cDr. White and the fellow founders of that movement knew a kid like me would come along and carry the torch, so I\u2019m carrying it. I\u2019m carrying on that legacy almost 50 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chicago School offers a range of academic programs that can prepare you to positively impact mental health. Fill out the information below to request more information, or you can apply today through our application portal.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Jarvis Sams looked for a black male marriage counselor, he struggled to find one. Learn why he chose TCSPP to make an impact and increase representation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":107230,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[191],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1062],"class_list":["post-7756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCarrying the Torch For Black Psychologists | TCSPP<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Jarvis Sams looked for a black male marriage counselor, he struggled to find one. 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